Laura Stanger Photography

Ross Eccles

I recently visited the Art Decor Gallery in Whalley and there was a wonderful exhibition on displaying the works of the artist Ross Eccles. He was born in Blackburn, England in 1937 and worked as an architect. In 1991 he retired and dedicated himself to his art. Finding great inspiration in new surroundings, believing that changing environments can open the mind to new influences, he was a keen traveller and has travelled Europe and the world. His paintings are very vibrant and colourful, mirroring his eccentric personality.

He was never educated as an artist himself and believes that 'prescribed schooling moulds people into similar patterns and suppresses natural individuality'. I had the pleasure of personally speaking with Ross at the exhibition and I was very interested in his thoughts and opinions. His paintings are a reflection of his travels, similar to a photo album, portraying where he has visited. I love his paintings for the quirky style he uses and bright colours. As we grew up in the same town and attended the same school, I am also able to associate myself with the subject of the paintings. For example, the painting of Clitheroe Castle or, more recently for me, the paintings of Manchester.

Ross likes to work in different techniques and styles. He uses fine detailed pen and watercolours in his work but more recently, he has used large paintbrushes and a palette knife. Some of his works, for example, 'City Confusion' reminds me of the work of Jackson Pollock, very abstract and various drips and splashes on the canvas from the paint.

At the moment, I am writing my dissertation on 'Creativity in Education' and the lack of creativity in schools. As this is a subject that Ross feels strongly about, we vaguely discussed it at the exhibition and have since been in contact with him through email on the topic. He kindly has emailed me his thoughts and ideas on creativity in education. I shall be including this in my essay, creativity in education from an artist's perspective.