Roy Abell

Roy Beverley Abell (21 January 1931 – 30 June 2020) was an English Midlands-based artist. He was born in Small Heath, Birmingham and had a distinguished career as a painter and as an art teacher.^[1] He studied at the Birmingham College of Art and at the Royal College of Art in London, returning to Birmingham to teach at his former college from 1957 to 1982.^[2] He was made head of the painting school^[3] in 1974 and served as a member of the West Midlands Arts - Fine Arts Panel.^[1] In 1957 he was included as one of the 'Young Artists of Promise' in Jack Beddington's book.^[4]

Abell's paintings were a response to the visual world around him, painting using both oils and watercolour. His subjects were vast and wide-ranging, however his principal subjects were figurative and landscape, most particularly the wild landscapes of Spain, England, Scotland, Wales and especially the rugged coast of Pembrokeshire.^[1]

Abell exhibited in many solo and joint exhibitions across the country and his work is represented in public collections all over the UK: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales^[5] and Arts Council of Great Britain. Abell received a number of commissions during his career, most notably one of the six Alexander Howden Jubilee Awards - Great British Achievements in 1977.^[1]

Abell was also a cricketer, a right-handed batsman and leg-break bowler. Abell played for Warwickshire Second XI from 1960 to 1968,^[6] and played one first-class match for Warwickshire in 1967.^[1][6][7] He took four wickets against Cambridge University on debut at the advanced age of 36.

He was the first bowler to take 1,000 wickets in the Birmingham League.^[8]