New book highlights Ashley Jackson's love affair with his '˜Yorkshire mistress'- the landscape

Over the past 50 years Ashley Jackson has become almost as famous as the Yorkshire landscape he has captured so brilliantly through his majestic paintings.
Ashley Jackson in his Holmfirth gallery with his new book. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).Ashley Jackson in his Holmfirth gallery with his new book. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).
Ashley Jackson in his Holmfirth gallery with his new book. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).

Now in his new book, Ashley Jackson – The Yorkshire Artists: A Lifetime of Inspiration Captured in Watercolour, he has brought together a collection of paintings – some of which have never been seen before – that capture the essence of his work.

They include new works and offer glossy reproductions of watercolours depicting everything from the stark, lunar landscape of Marsden Moor to the brooding seascapes of Staithes.

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Mr Jackson opened his first gallery in Barnsley in 1963 and has since gone on to establish himself as one of this country’s best-known and most successful watercolour artists.

He says his passion for what he calls his “Yorkshire mistress” – the county’s great moorland landscapes – has not dimmed over time.

“All artists paint what inspires them, what allows them to capture what they see with their eyes with their hands and heart.

“We all have differing inspirations, mediums and connections with our subject – mine is the Yorkshire Moors.”

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The Holmfirth-based artist received the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to art in the Queen’s birthday honours earlier this year.

At the age of 77 he continues to paint each week, taking his sketchbooks out with him onto the moors.

He believes he is still creating some of his best work and as he told The Yorkshire Post, he has no intention of retiring.

“Yorkshire has given me a good living and I love going to work because I love what I do. This is a job I’ll do till I die.

“The last thing you’ll see is me there with a paintbrush in my hand.”