The Artist

Alec Brown started painting when his partners at Bruton Knowles gave him a box of paints as a retirement present. Over the next 20 years he painted prolifically, producing over 2000 paintings of local churches and landscapes, all of which he donated to local charities. Each year his paintings were used a Christmas cards. A few years before his death he said 'I have to admit to satisfaction when I realise that, by now, at least a million prints of my pictures have been used to carry kind words and greetings throughout this country and to many distant parts of the world'.

In 2000 he was awarded an MBE for his work for local charities. Alec continued painting until his death last year at the age of 89.

'Alec's Project' as he fondly called it, was his ambition to paint an original watercolour of every one of the 408 churches of the Gloucester Diocese. He completed 240, and at the age of 88, despite ill health, was still to be found driving around the countryside and scrambling through hedges to find the best view of a church. He had always hoped that this collection could be used, like all his paintings, for the enjoyment of the many.