Alan Taylor BA(Hons) is Wortley Hall’s Artist-in-Residence where he hosts painting and drawing classes.
He was born in Barnsley into a combined family of 6 half brothers and 2 half sisters. At that time one half sister had married and left home leaving a cosy 10 people in one house. Dad, Herbert (born in 1905 and a widower) was a market trader and had a toy shop. Joan (17 years younger than Herbert)was divorced with 3 previous sons. They married and had Alan in 1958.
Herbert was arty but never had the opportunity to nurture his talents being the son of an Edwardian brewery labourer. He did however manage to sell his own silver paper pictures from a market stall in Barnsley as well as run a ‘Doll’s Hospital’ repairing dolls and teddy bears. He also wrote poetry and listened to classical music.
Joan had previously worked in a shirt factory and later was a cook at Kendray Hospital, whilst enduring a marriage to a violent schizophrenic.
Alan was lucky in that his parents allowed him to pursue his dreams.
He developed a passion for drawing and painting at a very early age and took to oil painting at just 10 years of age. His first display of paintings was in the shop window of his parents’ old-style sweet shop in Hoyland Common, near Barnsley.
Following A Levels at Hoyland Kirk Balk School, a Foundation Year at Barnsley Art School and 3 years at Leeds Polytechnic studying illustration (now Beckett University) Alan declared himself to be a professional artist, available for all manner of commissions.
There had been and still were distractions for him along the way. Golf was one – Alan was Sheffield Junior Champion in 1975, Captain of Sheffield Schools Golf Team, a Yorkshire Schools team member and a Sheffield Union of Golf Clubs first team player among other things.
Then he discovered the guitar. He played lead guitar in a band called ‘Richard and the Taxmen’ who were big locally and on the edge of getting somewhere. John Peel liked them and played their single on his show a few times. They were featured in the Barry Hines/Ken Loach film ‘Looks and Smiles’. The band were hanging around with other local musicians who went on to greater things.
And then there was Caroline, his main distraction; and wife of 40 years.
So on with the painting.
After a few years of painting commissions, he became one of the country’s leading mural and decorative artists in increasing demand by interior designers and architects. This brought him into contact with royalty and the rich and famous.
Over recent years he has returned to his artistic roots; capturing the things around him with paintbrush and pen. He lives on the outskirts of the village of Wortley with Caroline in a beautifully converted cow-shed next door to a working farm and his local golf course – where they are both members.
As well as playing golf he still dabbles with the electric guitar and mandolin providing live music quizzes at Wortley Golf Club alongside other musicians.
