Ashley Jackson - Biography Ashley Jackson has had an extremely distinctive and illustrious life in the world of art. Since opening his first gallery back in 1963, he has become one of the countries leading and most successful landscape watercolorists. His unique, evocative and distinctive paintings have become synonymous with Yorkshire. His works have been exhibited worldwide and adorn the walls of many successful and famous people, from politicians to actors, from Tzars to Princes. Ashley was recently honoured when the Yorkshire Business Connection presented to former US President Bill Clinton an original Ashley Jackson. Pictured here "Moorland Serenade" presented by Ashley's manager Heather Beever. It was in 1967 that he was elected a member of the F.R.S.A and strived to gain recognition with the London art galleries, first acheiving this in 1967 with a highly successful exhibition at the Upper Grosvenor Gallery, London. Since then his works have been exhibited in galleries across the world, from Milan to America, Washington D.C., Dallas and Chicago to name but a few. Whilst in Chicago, his talents were recognized and he was asked to do a series of tutorial classes on P.B.S Television, which was broadcast coast to coast across the U.S. 1987 brought him one of his major achievements when H.R.H. Prince of Wales opened Ashely's one man exhibition titled "Ashley Jackson's Vision of Turner in Yorkshire". 1990 saw the broadcasting of his own television series "A Brush With Ashley "on Yorkshire Television. 1993 saw the release of his book "A Brush With Ashley - a watercolorists workbook" and the transmission of a third series of his television programme. This time it took on a slightly different format with Ashley inviting a different celebrity guest each programme to join him out on location, guests included Judge Pickles, Kathy Staff and Brian Glover, to name but a few.  Due to the series popularity a fourth series was televised in March 1995 on Yorkshire Television, his celebrity guests included, Liz Dawn, alias Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, Helen Sharmann astronaut, Norman Bowler alias Frank Tate in Emmerdale, Freddie Trueman, John Briggs the international pianist and John Baxter T.V. vet. May 1995 saw the start of a one man touring exhibition entitled, "Here's to You Dad", to commemorate not only the life of his father who was executed by the Japanese out East in the Second World War, but as a mark of respect to all those who lost their lives so valiantly, as 1995 was the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war out East. This touring exhibition was a tremendous success, with all the Galleries involved having high attendance. "From Yorkshire with Love" was the title of Ashley's 1996 touring exhibition which appeared at Beningborough Hall, York, Wakefield Art Gallery, and Sewerby Hall Bridlington .  The year ended with a great honour when Ashley was voted "Yorkshire, Arts and Entertainment Personality of the Year for 1996". As you can imagine , he was overwhelmed by the award and extremely proud to recieve it. 1997 was another busy year with a major one man retrospective exhibition of his works, "Earth , Wind and Fire" at the Lowry Gallery in Salford, Manchester. His haunting and evocative landscapes took the visitor on a magical journey through the British Isles, giving Ashley's impressions of many well known landscapes in the various seasons that he has experienced. It was a particularly poignant exhibition for Ashley, as Lowry actually became a collector of Ashley's works, as well as being his great friend and mentor too. Towards the end of the year a fifth TVseries of "A Brush With Ashley" was transmitted, at the peak time of 7.30 p.m every Tuesday evening. The series is currently into its tenth year. The Armouries -Leeds May - Sept 2000 was the prestigious venue of a celebratory exhibition of Ashley's sixty years on this earth. "Dawn's A New Day" was an unparalleled free admission exhibition by the People's Artist, Ashley Jackson. The Gala Preview night was a spectacular evening which opened with the first public performance of a symphony that was written and inspired by the works and life of Ashley and was titled, "Trembling Air". "Ashley Jackson's Yorkshire Moors - a love affair"- a wonderful celebratory coffee table book published by the Dalesman. By purchasing the book through this appeal, the Dalesman will make a donation of £2.00 to the project. Visit Supporting the Project.  Ashley is heading off later this year to head "The Best of Yorkshire" a celebrity cruise on the QE2 to New York. Ashley is booked to head three further cruises for Cunard throughout the next eighteen months. He is filming a new series of "A Brush With Ashley" along with a series that takes him to the Mediterranean. Presentation to Clinton More recently, Ashley was honoured when the Yorkshire Business Connection presented to former US President Bill Clinton an original Ashley Jackson. Website www.ashley-jackson.co.uk The official Ashley Jackson web site. The famous Yorkshire-based artist who specialises in watercolours of the local landscape. To find out more about Ashley's involvement with the Woodland Trust visit our July Dales Diary