Back in the early 80s I had an agent, their business was marketing and selling illustrators and cartoonists like myself to ad agencies and design companies. There were only 2 or 3 people in the business and they were good at what they did. Generating work for us and generally getting very good fees for us, the sort that we artists would never have the brass nerve to ask. We got on well. Times were good.

Each Christmas we were tasked with thinking off something novel to give to out clients, apart from just a free lunch at a fancy London eatery, which they did throughout the year anyway as a part of their charm offensive with their clients. Our corporate identity was a false nose and glasses, the sort of thing you could buy from a joke shop or on the back pages of Beano, or if you were respectable Eagle comics. The name and the image were the idea of one of the artists: Phil Dobson, it worked very well as a graphic.

Now, I’d met a potter, a ceramicist to be more exact. A tall easy going gentle guy from Edinburgh who taught ceramics at an art college up there. I’d met him via a neighbour in Chalford near Stroud. I wondered if he could produce a limited number of little mugs that incorporated our logo idea. A chubby mug with a big red nose and glasses with the sides of the glasses making the handles like a couple of ears. I did a drawing for him, and he did it!

We gave them out to honoured clients that Christmas. As I recall it was not exactly a high point in his career. I doubt that he got paid very quickly, Funny Business always seemed to take ages to pay even their own artists like myself. Mick Brettle went on to higher things and became a big name at Edinburgh School of Art.

I’ve still got my Funny Business mug, it sits on my desk to this day, sadly I heard recently that Mick the Ceramicist has died, and I hear via Valerie, the same neighbour that introduced us. Mick was the gentlest of men and I have fond memories of him.

We subsequently bought other items that Michael created, the star being a cheese dish ( that we rarely used for cheese, too good for that ). It was formed of an oval base on which stood a hollow fairground dodgem car with a fine 50s couple in the seat. Beautifully crafted and designed, unlike the Funny. Business mug it has not survived. We have also a large ceramic plant bowl with intricate flower designs incorporated, it’s a beautiful piece and survives in our garden. He must have produced dozens of fine designs over a long career.

I’ve no doubt he will be sadly missed, and kindly remebered by hundreds of his ceramic students. For me, my Funny Business mug looks at me every day and reminds me of some very happy times and I treasure the memory.