Born 1938
Elected ARE 1982, RE 1984
Made Honorary RE 2021
Died September 2024
Norman Ackroyd attended the Leeds College of Art followed by the Royal College of Art in London prior to being elected Royal Academician in 1990. He lectured extensively in both the UK and USA. Painting in a range of media, but most comfortable with etching, he was one of Britain's most famous contemporary printmakers.
Born in Leeds, his love of landscape was nurtured on long boyhood bicycle rides in the Yorkshire Dales.
“The things that stirred me, I wanted to get to the root of” and in doing so, he would take ink, plate and acid into the field. Working on plates directly, the acid painted on as if a watercolour, and the 'bite' stopped by a quick rinse in a stream or a wipe on the wet grass, giving a freedom and immediacy which produced truly captivating images.
Norman was a highly respected artist and his work influenced and inspired many. He will be sorely missed.