Artist John’s master stroke

NEW academy president . . . John McCombs

A GREENFIELD artist has fulfilled his late father’s wishes by becoming president of a prestigious academy.

John McCombs was regularly taken to see exhibitions held by the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts as a child.

At one of them he asked his dad, also called John, if he thought he would ever have a painting displayed by the academy and his dad said he would one day be president.

John has now fulfilled his father’s prophecy at the age of 65.

John, president of the Saddleworth Group of Artists, will hold his role for six years and face re-election every two years.

This year, MAFA is celebrating its 150th anniversary and there are big plans to mark the occasion in style.

John said: “There have been many famous artists as members of MAFA over the years such as LS Lowry, Ford Madox Brown, Alfred Waterhouse — who designed Manchester Town Hall and Strangeways Prison — and art critic Sir Kenneth Clark.

“Oldham artists William Stott and James Fitton were also members and Winston Churchill was honorary vice president.”

Anniversary exhibitions have been planned at Ashton’s Central Art Gallery from August 28 and at Manchester Cathedral from November 11 — the exact day MAFA was set up in 1859.

At school, John’s art teacher James Callaghan —who eventually went on to become MP of Middleton and Heywood - encouraged him to go to the High School of Arts in Manchester before he secured a place at St Martins School of Art in London.

His tutors were so impressed with the work he submitted for his final exams that they offered him a job but a random trip to Delph spurred him to move to Saddleworth and paint the area’s many hills and picturesque landscapes.

John, who has had his paintings exhibited at galleries across the country, said: “This is a new excitement for me. I’m young enough while being old and wise enough to really enjoy it.”