Longest continuous member of Fylingdales Group of Artists dies at 96

Mr Rigg was born in Farsley, West Yorkshire, in 1927.

He left school at the age of 14 to work in the textile mill.

He had no formal art education and was completely self-taught during his nearly 80-year art career.

Mr Rigg initially sketched the Yorkshire Dales in black and white sketches, moving on to pen and ink watercolours.

In the early 1960s in his early years of his career he realised that pen and ink watercolours was only a steppingstone on to a more artistic progression.

His son Ian said: “He spent more time sketching along the East Coast of Yorkshire and had a good eye for composition.

"Initially when he saw painting opportunity, he took reference photos, these were never to copy or paint from.

"In using his sketches, which he often wrote useful information including where the sun would be for the shadows, the colour of the funnels, colour of the ship’s hull, names and other details of other boats and the background, that were all going in be in the painting.

“He would often go into the harbour with his Wellingtons on to get a feel of the perspective and make sketches from there for his painting.”

“When he started a painting, it was a mixture of all these tools-photo sketches and his artistic interpretation made a Jack Rigg picture a mixture of reality, together with his creative input to make the perfect painting.

“Jack’s oil paintings are not just painted in a matter of days – it can be a couple of months in the making.

“That’s why every painting is different and unique."

During the 1970s he left the mills and became a full-time artist at the age of 50.

He never looked back and became one of the leading marine artists.

Mr Rigg was the longest serving member of the Fylingdales group of artists.

He exhibited for 51 years, never missing an exhibition.

He finally resigned in 2020 at the grand old age of 92.

Mr Rigg regularly exhibited his work at the Winter Exhibition in Hull and was commissioned by the Sail Training Association to paint their 25th anniversary painting of the Winston Churchill.

This auctioned off in 1991, raising more than £1,000 for charity.

A limited-edition print (one of 25) was signed by the Patron of the STA, the then, HRH Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.

For a number of years, Mr Rigg's paintings were selected by the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen for their annual charity Christmas card.

A fonder member of the Farsley Art Club, he painted his last painting when he was 92 years old.

He lived the last 24 years on his own following the death of his beloved wife Shirley.

Mr Rigg died peacefully at home on August 5.

He leaves Jack has two sons, Michael and Ian Rigg, daughter-in-laws Annette and Therese Rigg, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren.