Eric Tucker inspired display goes on show at Fairfield

In the autumn of 2018 Warrington and the wider world discovered Eric Tucker who had kept his talent hidden from public view during his lifetime.

After his death the family held a weekend exhibition of a selection of his many paintings and drawings in the terraced house in King George’s Crescent where Eric had recreated the world he knew. Thousands queued around the block, some from as far as Scotland and Kent, but mostly Warringtonians who were amazed to discover Eric’s talent.

Among them were members of the u3a art group led by Roger Coasby who would also visit the major retrospective of Eric’s work held at Warrington Museum the following year and inspired by Eric’s younger brother, Tony, who wanted to fulfil his late brother’s desire to see his work exhibited in his home town gallery.

When u3a art groups resumed at Fairfield Old School Roger Coasby set his group the challenge of recreating one of Eric’s typical scenes of an industrial Warrington street scene. Twelve of the group worked on individual sections with the tricky challenge of matching their colours to create one work in what would also be Roger’s last project after six years as group leader.

Last week Tony Tucker went back to his old school to see the finished artwork go on show in a setting very familiar to the Tucker family.

Eric's brother visited

Tony said: "It's been a great pleasure to be here today to meet the U3A group with their tutor Roger Coasby and see this wonderful piece of collective artwork, a tribute to the art of my brother Eric Tucker

"What better place to see it in than the old Fairfield school surrounded by the streets that my brother grew up in.

"For him this area with its streets, back entries, shops, pubs and of course people formed the bedrock, I believe, of his own singular artistic vision. A vision that, through the long decades of his artistic development never failed or faltered, though he remained unrecognised by the art world at large.

"He both recorded and celebrated the lives of ordinary people with a vitality and truthfulness that will, as the art critic Richard Cork stated, "rescue him from undeserved obscurity so that he might find a place in the pantheon of 20th century British Art"."

If like Eric Tucker you have hidden talents you would like to explore why not join over a thousand other Warringtonians who are u3a members? Choose from 50 activity groups covering many different subjects and activities, from Art to Ukulele, American Square Dance to Walking and everything in between.

Warrington u3a is part of a national collection of groups running local and online member-led learning for those who are no longer in full time work. U3a members meet together to continue their educational, social and creative interests in a friendly and informal environment.

If you would like to know more visit the Warrington group’s website at u3asites.org.uk/warrington/home or enrol at the registration session at Winmarleigh House on September 7.

Eric Tucker