In retirement I learned printmaking at Neil Woodall’s studio in Sheffield, where each year Norman Ackroyd had his set of themed etchings produced. When I tentatively showed him one of mine, he sat down with his little magnifying glass and gave the plate a serious examination.
Then he said: “I should submit it to the RA summer exhibition.” It was duly accepted and hung there. His instinct was always to encourage life’s students.
When my friend Pete Medway and I visited his fascinating studio in Bermondsey, south-east London, he displayed the enthusiasm he had for all comers. A generous man indeed.
