About Alan Brassington

Introduction by The Duke of Devonshire

Thanks to the far sighted and generous sponsorship of Victor Chandler, Alan Brassington has been able to spend the last two years producing a collection of work of his own choice. Alan has been taking his work in new directions. Some of the subject matter is not surprisingly familiar. The greyhounds and the horses, that have done so much to make his reputation and his success, are here again but the media in which he has depicted them is somewhat different. The drawings particularly have a meticulousness which is very attractive. Alan Brassington has been exhibiting in London and New York since 1992. During that time it has been interesting to watch his work develop. I am sure that for the increasingly wide circle of admirers this will be a show to be studied carefully and to be enjoyed; a show definitely not to be missed.

The Duke of Devonshire CBE

Comment by Terry Danziger-Miles Director of Timothy Taylor Gallery. London

I first met Alan when he came to my gallery and admired a painting by the artist. Craigie Aitchison. I have always been impressed by artists who collect the work of other artists. In Alans case, I was doubly so, because I know at the time. He could ill-afford to do so, but nevertheless, he negotiated to pay over many months in order to own the painting. During this period, he would drop into the gallery with his payment and would always ask to view the painting again. So this is how I got to know Alan the person long before I knew him as a painter.

Shortly after he took possession of his Craigie work. I went to visit him in his studio/ house and was most taken by a very large painting of Alan’s that greets you in the dining room. The canvas is a portrait of a young man and his greyhound. They are set into a background of a large baronial hall with steps and columns. It was breathtakingly beautiful: painted with such detail and clarity that it was impossible to see the brushwork. Alan had handmade the frame from old oak floorboards and seeing it for the first time, you were transported back to the era when artists were artists and not just painter-celebrities.

This painting, like most of his work, is about dedication to art. Not only detail but a sense of warmth and complete understanding of the subject he has taken on.

I instantly commissioned him to paint my two dogs, one is a very shaggy wire-haired pointer, the other a rather elegant sleek flat coated retriever. Alan decided he would only do portraits; he was able, needless to say, to give me not only two beautiful small portraits capturing not only the likeness but also the characters of the individual animal.

The next thing he asked me to arrange was to see if it would be possible for me to get permission for him to paint a portrait of Craigie Aitchison who I might add has never agreed to any artist doing a portrait of him for the last thirty five years. Because he is a friend of mine, I introduced Alan who, through his patience and kindness, was to be allowed to photograph him in his studio provided that we included his beloved Bedlington Terriers. Alan then produced a series of drawing and three very distinctive portraits: one in watercolour, one in pastel and one in oil — all quite large and all on paper. All three are completely different and yet at the same time exactly the same because they all have a clarity and have fixed that moment in time.

One of these will be exhibited in this show along with a painting of Eloise seated cross-legged on a chair. When looking at this painting, you might well not recognise the sitter but you will see the chair and you will feel the fabric that is the honesty of this man for me. So go and find your own favourite work in the show in whatever medium you choose and come to your own conclusion as to how good Alan really is.