Recently I paid a visit to my Dad’s families old town, to see an exhibition at the Beverley Art Gallery, about the English artist David Remfry.

I had read one or two online articles in the past about him and I was pleased that he was now being featured in a retrospective, ten miles from Hull, the city where his own youth was spent.

Arriving mid afternoon I was greeted by three, almost life size drawings in pencil and watercolour facing the gallery entrance. I thought what a good idea to capture the people stood before you, not just with head and shoulders but with feet sharing the same floor in accurate perspective with the viewer.

Drawn towards the audio commentary coming from behind the drawings, I spent a very enjoyable, sunlit dappled afternoon watching the various interviews of his illustrious life as an Artist.

What a humble and determined man he is.

After which I took the opportunity to sketch his watercolour portrait of Quentin Crisp hanging next to the monitor. I fondly remember watching the first showing of the “The Naked Civil Servant” on TV, brilliantly brought to life by the great John Hurt.   

“I defy you to do your worst. It can hardly be my worst. Mine has already and often happened to me. You cannot touch me now. I am one of the “stately homo’s of England” 

A portrayal of one of many famous people and eccentrics he has encountered over a fascinating lifetime of diligent, consistent, application to the art of drawing and painting people from life, in nightclubs, at the Chelsea Hotel (his New York home for 17 years), and at his Kensington home/studio, shared with partner Caroline Hansberry.

He was a student at The Hull College of Art (now NAPA – Northern Academy of Performing Arts) a decade or so before my own time there.

The idea of us having both shared a first introduction to the love of drawing the human form there seemed somewhat special.   

The exhibition is on until June 21st.

Kudos to Hannah Willetts, Beverley Gallery Curator for pulling this important home coming of work together.

UPDATE: Here’s a video of the talk he gave at the Gallery with Sarah Turner, Art Historian and Director of the Paul Mellon Centre, London.