I was very sorry to hear about the passing of artist Bryan Pearce, who died 11 January.

My late father was the vicar of St. Ives Parish Church in the 1970s and I recall meeting Bryan as a child on several church occasions and greeting him at our door when he occasionally arrived unannounced, as was his want.

Bryan suffered from a rare inherited condition, phenylketonuria, which severely limited his learning and communication abilities but this did not prevent him from a living a full life and his paintings and drawings are world renowned reflecting what one commentator called “a natural innocence and delight of a man who has found relief and rehabilitation through painting.”

He was a remarkable figure and his art an inspiration, that anyone can be creative against all odds.

The official Bryan Pearce website is at: www.bryanpearce.co.uk and the St. Ives Lemon Gallery also has paintings by Bryan on its web site, a celebration of his 75th birthday two year ago.

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Obituaries