A RENOWNED Darwen-born artist who has exhibited throughout Europe is bringing his most recent work back home to be shown in Blackburn Cathedral.

David Pearson. 60. who was educated at St Wilfrid’s High School, Blackburn, and now lives in Spain, has some of his hand-coloured line drawings of Blackburn and Darwen on show in the Cathedral’s shop after contacting the Dean, the Very Rev Peter Howell-Jones.

The mounted prints show scenes of Blackburn in the early 1900s, including the market hall, the cathedral, King William Street, Church Street and Darwen Town Hall.

David, who grew up ‘in the shadow of Crown Paints in Darwen’ and went to St Cuthbert’s CE Primary School in the town studied art at Blackburn College and Wolverhampton University, His work was accepted at the Royal Academy in 2012 and he has had other pictures shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Academy exhibition on five other occasions.

He has lived in Spain since 2004 but will be spending part of the summer back in Darwen with his family.

“I did the pen and ink drawings between 1988 and 1990 when I decided to do local scenes,” he said. “As Blackburn and Darwen have changed so much in recent years, I thought it appropriate to go back to these drawings in order to remind people of yesteryear, and “bring them to life” by hand-colouring them which makes each print unique.

“Knowing that I was going to spend this summer in Lancashire, I decided to do larger prints of my drawings, hand-colour them, and see about possible outlets to sell them.

“I am very grateful that the Dean agreed to put them in the shop.”

David says that his art was heavily influenced by growing up in Darwen.

He added: “There was also a power station not far away that produced electricity for Crown Paints and in my youth I began to sketch it. The immense size, sombre colours and decaying state made a big impression on me. I remember showing the sketches to my art teacher at school, he was very impressed and encouraged me to continue.

“Later, during summer vacations from university I worked at the factory making paint and it was at this time that I did my first large painting using the industrial paints from Crown.”

David, who as well as painting also teaches English to both children and adults in Spain, will have an exhibition in Valencia in September of his more abstract work.