White River Crossing

J Alec Pearson (1993-2009) left school at 15 and went straight to work as a technician in the local steelworks in Stocksbridge. His enthusiasm for drawing was evident even then, as he spent quiet shifts drawing his colleagues and the factory. He held his first exhibition in Sheffield City Hall in 1966, and from 1967, with the support of his wife Jean, he managed to study art and take up teaching training course at Bretton Hall. In 1982 he moved to Bradley to teach art and design at South Craven School.

Alec always drew wherever he was, and he developed a keen interest in landscapes and archaeology. Alec Pearson’s work developed from a continuing fascination with aspects of archaeology especially those concerning the use by early cultures of various signs and symbols, and the simple graphic forms of figures and animals.

This interest brought him into working collaborations with archaeologists as artist-on-site and in the production of joint art/archaeology exhibition ventures in this country and abroad.

These ventures and visits to ancient sites, particularly in Ireland, Germany, America and Ukraine, extended his vocabulary of marks and signs and enabled him to make works using, often playfully, those from his broad compass.

He frequently combined these with modern signs and symbols including those from the electronic circuitry he worked with when employed in industry. He explored his ideas in a range of media but mainly through painting, in which his use of colour is a strong element, drawing and print making.