David Wentworth

It is with great sadness that we lost our treasured Chairman, member and friend at the start of autumn. David was in at the beginning of the New Chertsey Art Club in Guildford Street, and eventually took over the Chairmanship of Chertsey Artists Limited. He worked tirelessly to ensure that the premises ran smoothly, liaising with the Trustees and inspiring the committee. He was very supportive and encouraging of the club members” work, and when we had the themed exhibitions he always managed to produce something original and amusing to fit the theme. June Pugh has written the following about his life outside Chertsey Artists: “David was my friend. Our first meeting was at Send Prison, 22 years ago.

He was a visitor to the Education Department and interested in the work we were doing in Art, in prison education. He continued to visit occasionally and sometimes to take a class for us if the appointed teacher was on holiday. He was on a degree course at Farnham and was considering the possibility of teaching; I encouraged him because I believed he would make an excellent teacher. I was proved correct in that belief; he became a member of the teaching staff at Send Prison gaining the affection of his students and colleagues and the respect of all the staff in the prison. Away from the prison, I have seen him with groups of children and with groups of adults, he was able to engage with all of them and infect them with his own interest and enthusiasm. He had a great interest in and love of people, I never knew anyone with so many close friends. When I was working for my diploma, he was a sympathetic and encouraging mentor, commenting on my work and pushing my thinking. He was inspired and inspirational. “David had a wide range of interests – sports: football and golf particularly; Theatre – one niece is an actor; Film and, of course, Art. He loved all art, from pre-historic cave art to the most recent art shown at the ‘trendy’ galleries; sculpture; ceramics; printmaking; modelling and crafts. He was an enthusiast, open to considering new ideas and concepts taking an academic and practical interest in everything he saw. “David’s own work is well known to us: his superb draughtsmanship; his large and passionate crowd scene paintings and his quiet, contemplative café conversation pieces which demonstrate how well he knew his subjects. “He was my friend and I miss him.”