Fred Lawson. A Painter’s Life
by John Duncalfe. Published 2017
Fred Lawson’s Studio
For many years Fred wrote an illustrated letter every month
for publication in The Ripon Wakeman and subsequently
in The Dalesman.
These letters garnered a great following.
His pen and ink illustrations depicted the life
of The Dales, and his truthful, perfectly measured
words and humour could not fail to engage any reader.
Now republished, this is a collection of 12 ‘letters’ from 1950:
one for each calendar month.
Fred Lawson’s Letter from the Dales.
12 illustrated Letters written by Lawson
1950: January - December.
Sonia Lawson R.A
Fred Lawson: 1888 - 1968
Sonia Lawson’s father: Fred Lawson
Fred Lawson was born near Leeds in 1888. He moved to the
Yorkshire Dales in 1910, having fallen in love with the
landscape and the people. He is know for his pen drawings and
watercolours which capture the heart of the Dales: a lone sheep
on the moor, or fairground on the village green with caravans.
His work is in collections throughout the UK including Wakefield,
Leeds, Scarborough, Harrogate and Kirkless Art Galleries.
Fred Lawson c.1960
Sonia Lawson’s father
J.B. Priestley said of Fred Lawson:
A fine and sensitive artist with a style and manner so
much of his own that often I have recognised at once tiny
reproductions of pen drawings as being his work.
Fred’s humour and kind manner charmed many he met, and his
writings for the Ripon Wakeman (1949-1958) and The Dalesman
(1958-1968) distilled this. He wrote and illustrated a ‘Letter from the
Dales’ every month for the Dalesman, and had many fans across the
globe.
Sonia tells how one letter arrived addressed to:
Fred Lawson, Artist and Philosopher, Wensleydale, England.
Fred illustrated many books and articles, including books of poems by
Dorothy Una Ratcliffe.
He lived and worked in his beloved dales until his death in 1968.
Sonia recalled how during the second world war, he paid for some of
their rations with his paintings:
“His work was good and joyful currency.”
All images: copyright the estate of Sonia Lawson
CONTACT
Publications & futher information:
Fred Lawson was born in Yeadon, near Leeds in 1888. He studied fine art
at Leeds College of Art where he won a scholarship to London: Kensington
College of Art (Now the Royal College of Art).
While there he won 3 medals for excelling in drawing and also a teaching
diploma.
In 1910, when he was 22 years old, he visited Wensleydale and decided
the place was his home. It was an auspicious date, as not only was it the
year of Haley’s comet, but also the year of his future wife’s birth. (Muriel
Metcalfe was 22 years younger than Fred).
Although well know for his portrayals of the dales, he travelled on the
continent to Provence and The Low countries, but the 1914 War brought
an end to these journeys.
He settled in the Wensleydale village of Castle Bolton,
continually painting and drawing his beloved Dales until his death in 1968.
Moorland Road Watercolour. 1948
Leyburn Fair Pen, coloured pencils and chalk,
circa1955
Middleham Fair. Watercolour
c.1950
Caravans Pen and ink drawing
Coppice. Watercolour 1946
Newspaper cutting:
Fred Lawson and Jacob Kramer
Fred Lawson. A Painter’s Life
by John Duncalfe. Published 2017
Fred Lawson’s Studio
Fred wrote an illustrated letter each month which was
published in The Ripon Wakeman and subsequently
in The Dalesman.
These letters garnered a great following.
His pen and ink illustrations depicted the life
of The Dales, and his truthful, perfectly measured
words and humour could not fail to engage any reader.
Now republished, this is a collection of the
12 ‘letters’ from 1950: one for each calendar month.
Fred Lawson’s Letter from the Dales.
12 illustrated Letters written by Lawson.
1950: January - December.
All images: copyright the estate of Sonia Lawson
CONTACT
Fred Lawson c.1960
Publications & further information:
J.B. Priestley said of Fred Lawson:
A fine and sensitive artist with a style and manner so
much of his own that often I have recognised at once tiny
reproductions of pen drawings as being his work.
Fred’s humour and kind manner charmed many he met,
and his writings for the Ripon Wakeman (1949-1958) and
The Dalesman (1958-1968) distilled this. He wrote and
illustrated a ‘Letter from the Dales’ every month for the
Dalesman, and had many fans across the globe.
Sonia tells how one letter arrived addressed to:
Fred Lawson, Artist and Philosopher, Wensleydale,
England.
Fred illustrated many books and articles, including books
of poems by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe.
He lived and worked in his beloved dales until his death
in 1968.
Sonia recalled how during the second world war, he paid
for some of their rations with his paintings:
“His work was good and joyful currency”
Fred Lawson was born in Yeadon, near Leeds in 1888.
He studied fine art at Leeds College of Art where he
won a scholarship to London: Kensington College of
Art (Now the Royal College of Art).
While there he won 3 medals for excelling in drawing
and also a teaching diploma.
In 1910, when he was 22 years old, he visited
Wensleydale and decided the place was his home. It
was an auspicious date, as not only was it the year of
Haley’s comet, but also the year of his future wife’s
birth. (Muriel Metcalfe was 22 years younger than
Fred).
Although well know for his portrayals of the dales, he
travelled on the continent to Provence and The Low
countries, but the 1914 War brought an end to these
journeys.
He settled in the Wensleydale village of Castle Bolton,
continually painting and drawing his beloved Dales
until his death in 1968.
Leyburn Fair Pen, coloured pencils and chalk, circa1955
Middleham Fair. Watercolour c.1950
Caravans Pen and ink drawing
Fred Lawson 1888-1968
Fred Lawson was born near Leeds in 1888 and moved
to the Dales in 1910 where he fell in love with the
landscape and the people of the Yorkshire Dales. He is
know for his pen drawings and watercolours which
capture the heart of the North Riding: a lone sheep on
the moor, or fairground on the village green with
caravans. His work is held in collections throughout the
UK including Wakefield, Leeds, Scarborough, Harrogate
and Kirkless Art Galleries.
Sonia’s Father
Moorland Road Watercolour. 1948
SONIA LAWSON
