ARTIST Ashley Jackson has swapped painting for podcasting as part of a project for Yorkshire’s tourism agency.
The Holmfirth painter, 70, joins one of a series of internet audio recordings on JMW Turner for the Welcome to Yorkshire website.
The series focuses on Turner’s experience of Yorkshire, which the artist visited repeatedly during the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Mr Jackson, 70, said: “I have admired Turner since I was 14, he was my inspiration.
“He’s still the greatest British artist of them all – the first impressionist. If he had been French we’d still be talking about him.”
The podcasts, co-ordinated by Professor David Hill, of Leeds University, also feature Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, David Lascelles of Harewood House and Ken Hawley MBE, of the Hawley Collection Trust in Sheffield.
They were recorded as part of the Turner Trails project, which allows visitors to follow in Turner’s footsteps as he painted and sketched more than 800 views across more than 70 sites in Yorkshire.
Mr Jackson said Turner’s work was underrated.
He said: “He gets none of the recognition he deserves.
“The academics didn’t like him because he made money from his paintings and he came from the working class.
“What saddens me is that his name has been desecrated by the Turner Prize – he has been hijacked by the pseudo-intellectuals.”
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The new podcasts are not only interesting and educational, but the maps and tours are also a fun, free way for the whole family to spend a day out in Yorkshire over the Christmas holidays and enjoy the legacy that Turner left behind.”
See the website at www.yorkshire.com/turner
