Artwork of the Week - 2nd March 2015

John Knapp-Fisher - Cottages Abereiddy.

It is with great sadness we have to announce the news that John Knapp-Fisher passed away on Saturday 21st February at the age of 83. He died at Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest after being ill for some time. His passion for art never waned and he continued to paint and sketch until recently.

John Knapp-Fisher was known for his oil and watercolour paintings of land and seascapes inspired by south west Wales.

He was born in London in 1931, his father was a Professor of Architecture at the Royal College of Art. John's earliest memories are drawing and paintings alongside his father. John studied graphic design and typography at Maidstone College of Art. After becoming involved in exhibition and theatre design including scene construction and painting, John went on to become a full time artist in 1960. He moved to Pembrokeshire , Wales in 1965 and since then his paintings have captured the Pembrokeshire landscape that surrounded him.

John Knapp-Fisher has exhibited internationally and his work is held in many public and private collections including The National Museum of Wales, The National Library of Wales, The Contemporary Art Society of Wales and Tenby Museum.

John was also featured on television and radio and his work has been widely reviewed in newspapers and magazines for the Arts. In 1992 he was elected a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy. To mark his 80th birthday in August 2011, Knapp-Fisher featured on the BBC Radio Wales Arts Show. He also held an exhibition of new paintings at the Martin Tinney Gallery in Cardiff which saw art lovers queuing around the block.

His work, from striking stone-washed Pembrokeshire cottages to scenes of the sea regularly sell for thousands of pounds  and are hugely popular among collectors. Cottages Abereiddy is a great example of his usual style and subject matter. This artwork is available as a Limited Edition Print that was released just before his death earlier this year.

John was one of the Great British Artists of the 20th Century, whose work, collected by so many will live on forever. To view the full collection of available Limited Edition Prints by John Knapp-Fisher go to Union Art.