A true Cicestrian, born at 6 East Pallant, within the City Walls, Nigel was educated at Prebendal, Charterhouse, Worthing and Wimbledon Art Schools, studying theatre design and fine art. Exhibiting at The Royal Academy, in The Portal Gallery, London and also in Chichester, where he and his late French wife, Martine, also an artist, owned and ran The Eastgate Gallery with Kenneth Child from 1968 until 2007.

In 1966 Nigel and Martine were married in Chartres, a city twinned with Chichester. During that year he held an exhibition in Chartres, which included a portrait of Monsignor Michon, (Bishop of Chartres) now on show in The Bishop’s Palace in Chartres.

His first Street Scene in 1978 was of East Street, Chichester, commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II, which featured 100 well known local personalities. The final one of West Street, Chichester, commemorated the Centenary of The West Sussex County Council in 1988.

Commissions included The Chichester Festival Theatre, The opening of The Bible Society by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Goodwood Race Course (below painted with his son Hugo in 2000), SPCK, Stanstead House, Prebendal School and Chichester Cathedral.

Nigel was taught picture framing, portrait painting and landscape at West Dean College, Earnley Concourse and WI Denman College in Abingdon, Oxford. he excelled at watercolour, acrylic and oils in landscapes, portraits and fantasy pictures. Nigel was a member of the City Art Group, which meets at the Ox Market, Chichester. He was also a volunteer at L’Arche Bognor Regis.

In amateur dramatics, Nigel had the lead in ‘The Glass Menagerie’ by Tennessee Williams, ‘The Waltz of the Toreadors’ by Jean Anouilh, ‘Private Lives’ by Noel Coward and ‘The Public Ear and The Private Eye’ by Peter Shaffer.

Although it had been several years since he had ‘trod the boards’ I was delighted when he accepted the part of Professor Thaddeus in the Act in Faith production of Ladislas Fodor’s ‘The Vigil’ which we toured to three local churches and performed at St. Wilfrid’s on 19th May 2007.

Nigel had a great love reading and reciting poetry and in 2005 became a member of Village Voices, a group that was founded in the village of Felpham by former actress Julia Goodman. In 2007 the group was asked to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Felpham’s famous poet, William Blake, with a public performance of ‘Billy Blake’s Birthday Bash’ and from this Voices in Performance (VIP) was formed with Nigel a key member of the ensemble of eight mixed voices. Nigel joined VIP on their very successful 2008/9 tour of ‘William Blake - through his own words and images’ including the Chichester Festivities, Arundel Festival and West Dean College. Despite deteriorating health he joined VIP again for the tour of ‘The Poetry of War’ for the Chichester Festivities and the Arundel Festival.

Nigel was a very deeply committed Christian who radiated love, kindness and a genuine interest and concern for others that illuminated everything he did. So many things to remember - just one example his reciting of the mustard seed parable for a L’arche community mime at the Baptist Church, Bognor.

The words William Blake wrote about his own birth which Nigel recited on the Blake tour resonate:

Rest in peace Nigel and rise in glory. Peter G.