Art & Soul is saddened to have learned of the passing of Alan Cartwright. Alan had been a member of Art & Soul for close to ten years and was a prolific artist who contributed to many of our workshops and exhibitions. Always immersed in art history and the works of the Old Masters, Alan applied his extensive technical knowledge to his own artworks, many of which were proudly displayed in his home. His career in architecture grew from his lifelong passions for art, design and mathematics. Alan's nephew, Max Cartwright, recalls: 'his family was very proud of him when the 16-year-old Alan was photographed for the local newspaper with a portrait he had done of Winston Churchill'. After earning two Architecture degrees at the University of Bath, Alan worked for a time in Saudi Arabia, where he was extremely proud to have been part of the team that won a competition to design the Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh. He later returned to the UK to live in Richmond and Teddington but retained a love of traveling.
Alan will be remembered as a very friendly and sociable person who loved to tell jokes or pose puzzles and would talk to anyone. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He really benefited and valued taking part in Art & Soul and it was a place of comfort and community for him during the later part of life when his health deteriorated. We are very grateful that Alan left a generous donation to Art & Soul in his will along with many art materials. For those Art & Soul members who wish to attend the wake in Alan's memory, it will be held on Saturday 29 October from 2pm at the Duke's Head Inn, 42 The Vineyard, Richmond TW10 6AN and all are invited.
