The life and work of Manx artist Edward Ashton Cannell will be the focus of a new exhibition opening at Rushen Heritage Centre next week.

‘Edward Ashton Cannell: A Manxman and his Art’ opens on Tuesday, September 9, at the centre on Bridson Street, Port Erin, and will run until Saturday, November 1.

Cannell, who was born in Port Erin in 1927 and grew up in both Port Erin and Port St Mary, studied at the Douglas School of Art under the influence of Archibald Knox. His contemporaries included Bryan Kneale, Norman Sayle and Toni Onley.

He became a full-time painter in 1973, concentrating on maritime watercolours, and carried out commissions for organisations including British Petroleum, Bass International, Foyles and Cassells. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Linda Blackstone Gallery in Pinner, the Archer Gallery and the Paris Salon. He died in London in 1994, aged 67.

The exhibition has been curated by Christa Viohl, a long-standing volunteer with Rushen Heritage Trust.

Christa said: ‘Our final exhibition of the season honours an artist who was for a long time almost forgotten in the Island. We want to celebrate his outstanding art and enable everyone to discover more about his life and work.

‘Cannell was one of Britain’s last traditional landscape painters. After studying at Liverpool College of Art, he returned to the Island and taught at Douglas School of Art, before moving to London where he was an art teacher at various schools, in addition to being a senior assessor for the Metropolitan Regional Examinations Board.

‘Even after having settled in London, he kept coming back to the Isle of Man to paint and visit friends and family. He was a fascinating character and an exceptional artist with a special kind of humour – a well-liked and very kind person.’

The exhibition will be open during the annual Heritage Open Days run by Manx National Heritage, which take place over the first two weekends of October.

Rushen Heritage Centre is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Admission is free, though donations are welcomed to support the trust’s work.

The Cannell exhibition is the fourth and final display in this year’s programme at the centre, following shows on Vikings, folklore in Rushen, and the history of mining and quarrying in the south of the island.

After November 1, while no exhibitions will be running, the centre will open on selected weekdays for activity sessions such as poetry, art and crafts. Details will be posted on the notice board in the centre’s window, and places will need to be booked in advance.

Run by volunteers, the centre also acts as a visitor information hub in partnership with Visit Isle of Man, selling Rushen Heritage Trust publications, greetings cards featuring local scenes, and a wide selection of books and maps relating to the area.

More information is available at rushenheritage.org or by contacting coordinator John Quirk at [email protected] or 464634.