The Limit Fan - A breath of fresh air.

When the world seems on fire and your room feels roasting, it’s wonderful to have access to an effective electric fan. And if that fan is vintage and aesthetically pleasing too - even better.

Photograph: Angie Rogers. Electric fan made by British firm Limit in the 1950s.

My south-facing studio has a big window - great for light and cheerful warmth on sunny winter days but an unwelcome heat generator in summer.

So that’s when my lovely old Limit fan comes into its own. Despite being elderly, (1950s) it is still in perfect working order with two speeds. The heavy base makes it incredibly stable whilst the signs of active service add to its character.

Photograph: Angie Rogers. Detail of manufacturer’s label.

The typography and design of the central label is marvellous and so redolent of the era in which the fan was manufactured.

And can you see how the shape of the blades puts me in mind of the wings of Peewits/Lapwings? And the wire guards remind me of their curling, dipping flight and sudden changes of direction in Spring.

Perhaps the Limit poised on my windowsill provided a subliminal stimulus for the ideas and colour palette of my series of Lapwing paintings?

Photograph and artwork: Angie Rogers. Detail of Lapwing diptych. Charcoal and acrylic on canvas.