Art Lives On

Editors Letter from Dec/Jan edition of Northern Life

I always leave the editor’s letter until the last minute and as usual this one is no exception. Writing my regular letter is something I enjoy, however, this time I have dreaded it. Alec Pearson, Northern Life’s regular artist, peacefully passed away on Friday, October 30th at his home in Bradley, after a short and sudden illness, age 76. As many of you know, Alec was also my husband Chris’s Dad – my father-in-law and he contributed to Northern Life Magazine along with his wife Jean from the beginning.
Alec’s funeral was held at Tarn Moor Estate, Skipton on Friday November 6th and despite the torrential rain over 250, family and friends, gathered in suits and Wellington boots to pay tribute to such a wonderful man. We are all devastated and no matter how many words I type, it can in no way embody the sense of loss and sadness felt by everyone. Ruby our six year old daughter said “He’s never far away, every time you look at his pictures, he’s there smiling back.” and with that lovely sentiment in mind we are going to continue to include Alec’s art work in Northern Life and in this edition, we have selected a few of our favourite sketches that we would like to share with you.

Alec Pearson Art Fund

In memory of Alec, we have launched, in conjunction with Craven College the Alec Pearson Art Fund. The Fund has been introduced to assist in the education of talented art artists in the Craven area. Any-one who would like to send a donation may do so by writing a cheque/postal order payable to Jean Pearson, c/o Northern Life Centre, 43 Scotland Road, Nelson. BB9 7UT. In forthcoming editions of Northern Life we will keep you up to date on the progress of the Fund and share the art work created by the beneficiares of the Alec Pearson Art Fund.