Robert Dawson (1926–97) was a painter, inspirational teacher and musician. He left school at 17 and was offered a scholarship to Stoke-on-Trent College of Art but was persuaded by his mother to join a solicitor’s office. Aged 22, Dawson forsook the law and joined a touring dance band as a saxophonist, performing in US Airforce bases in Germany. In the mid-1960s, he retrained as a primary school teacher, after studying English and Art at Clarendon College, Nottingham.  

A great collector and lover of art, Dawson was a member of the Staffordshire Society of Artists and had several solo exhibitions. In 1973 and 1974 he won the Holbrook Trust prize at Nottingham Castle Museum. When he died, he left a substantial body of work, much of which is being shown for the first time at Goldmark. 

The quality and commitment of Dawson’s work is summed up by his friend Sir Kyffin Williams R.A., who noted in 2000: ‘Bob Dawson was a man of total integrity. He was a large and gentle man who lived with the high standards he set himself while producing work of very great merit. Because he painted what he loved he was able to communicate that love to others.’

At time of writing, gallery visits were by appointment only; to book, call 01572 821424 or email info@goldmarkart.com. To view the exhibition online, go to goldmarkart.com, goldmark.tv or youtu.be/seSQ6wTHvtI.

Goldmark, 14 Orange Street, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9SQ