A new exhibition of paintings by the late artist David Fletcher, who lived in Laxey, is on display in the House of Manannan.

The ‘bold and captivating retrospective exhibition’ is titled ‘Paintings’ and was curated by Manx National Heritage and artist Eileen Schaer, David’s wife.

Liverpool born, David moved to the Isle of Man in 1975 and was a highly active member of the Manx arts community, becoming the course leader for Art and Design at the, then named, Isle of Man College.

The artist Normal Sayle, who was also a friend of David, once said of the painter: ‘He will not be diverted from his vision by considerations of popularity, accessibility, status or commercial gain. This vision is intensely personal and idiosyncratic. I can’t readily think of any label which could describe David Fletcher’s work. The nearest I can manage is psychological and mystical. It is an exceptionally complicated creative process.’

In the early 80s, David was a founding member of Arts in Mann and is credited for coming up with the idea for a travelling gallery bus that subsequently toured the island for a number of years.

He also served on the Isle of Man Arts Council and was involved with a number of projects as a trustee of MNH.

Hannah Murphy, Assistant Curator for Manx National Heritage said: ‘Manx National Heritage first exhibited David’s work at the Manx Museum in 1990 with his show ‘Internal Landscapes’ and we are delighted to now be revisiting his work with ‘Paintings’.

‘His work is represented in the Manx National Art Collection by three of his works: ‘The Old Chapel’, ‘Man with Worm’ and ‘Sycamore’, executed from early 1980s to 2006. A small number of works in this exhibition are on loan from private collections and one of the paintings ‘The Evocation of Isadora Duncan’ has been loaned from the IOM Arts Council Loan Collection, which David initiated.’

The exhibition is free to enter and will remain on display at the museum until February 26 next year, some of the paintings are also available to purchase.