A BOOK on a Wensleydale artist completed with help from readers of the D&S Times is now finished.

After retiring from a career in the art world, John Duncalfe took up writing.

He said: “Fred Lawson is the first painter that over several years, I've been driven to write about and an artist that I had not worked with in the past.

“Firstly buying one or two of his delightful understated paintings for our cottage in Wensleydale, it became apparent that Lawson was no ordinary country artist from his art school student days until his demise in 1968.”

After moving to Castle Bolton village in 1910 with fellow art school student friend, George Graham, until he died in 1968, Lawson worked every day at his Castle Bolton studio.

In 1933 he married a young artist from Leyburn, Muriel Metcalfe. Their daughter, Sonia, is now a member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

As a part of his research, Mr Duncalfe made several appeals for information via this newspaper. Readers were asked for stories or anecdotes of his life and to identify locations of paintings – a task they easily accomplished.

The appeal met with several interesting responses.

Mr Duncalfe said: “I was so saddened to hear of the loss of a great character, Archie Newton of Redmire, who kindly helped me with anecdotes about Fred Lawson, having been the Telegraph and paper boy when a young lad, delivering up to Castle Bolton village, often meeting Fred Lawson out painting.

“I would also like to thank the other Dales families who helped me to identify paintings and told other tales about their happy memories of the artist, many included in this book.”

Fred Lawson: A Painters Life, Tillington Press. Hardback 304 pages with text; chronology and fully-illustrated with colour and black and white images, including, watercolours, drawings, and engravings. It is available locally from Tennants, Castle Hill Bookshop, Berry’s Farmshop, Potterton Books or can be ordered at Wensleydale Galleries.