Many people regard Alan Nuttall’s images as so representative of St. Albert that he’s practically the Painter Laureate of the city. His inimitable style features scenes of our iconic architecture and gorgeous vistas, composed with his trademark details, deft draftsmanship, and condensed composite landscapes, and all with exacting detail and precise lines.
It makes sense that the England-born painter is finally getting his due with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to him Thursday evening during the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts. Just don’t ask him if he uses a computer to produce such fantastic and meticulous works. There’s no such fancy tricks, he said, balking at the very notion. Everything was made by hand: a steady hand, to be true.
“The first time somebody ever says that to you, you get quite hurt, jokingly hurt. They’re not even enhanced by computer,” he admitted. “Anyone who’s computer savvy can probably create an artwork, can’t they? They have these programs that convert pictures into pieces of art. You never really know, y’know?”
Trained at the Manchester College of Art, Nuttall has always been drawn to art, even to the chagrin of his father and his uncles who had a bit of a family legacy in butchering. But there are a lot of four-fingered butchers and this chap had a design to maintain as much nimble dexterity as he could for his two-dimensional work, he said, preferring to steer clear of sharp edges that didn’t involve pencil shavings.
Instead, he was always interested in illustrations and graphics “ever since the get-go” and always had an eye on the art business, especially as a commercial artist.
“I think I got the closest to it, anyway. It’s nice to have a hobby that you get paid for, it really is. I would paint anyway, but the fact that other people want them is quite rewarding.”
After graduation, he spent almost 15 years working on media magnate Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World in the graphics department doing the colour supplements.
“On a Sunday in England, you’d get a good bashing of literature that would keep you going until Wednesday afternoon – lots of coloured magazines and stuff like that,” he noted.
One such product was the promotional magazine that was produced for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana back in 1981. That team turned around a 40-page publication in a night and a day, he said, still proud.
Along with his wife, Anne, he moved to St. Albert the following year and immediately started carving out the niche that he will be most remembered for. Back then, there were more artists drawing mountain scenes even to the neglect of this fair burg. He stepped right in to fill that gap.
He started with some black and white works featuring notable landmarks from St. Albert’s early days. People took note and started requesting more contemporary pieces. Naturally, he was only too happy to oblige.
“I started doing Bruin Inn and the grain elevators. Everybody loves the grain elevators. And that river valley is a very picturesque thing. It’s easy,” he stated, adding, “It’s a pretty place. It’s well worth keeping in art form.”
While his work might not always have leant itself to rapid turnover, he forced himself to work quicker because of the city’s growth and tendency for change to happen overnight, yet he’s always stuck to traditional methods, a point of pride.
“You’ve gotta draw pretty quick because – I’ve probably said this a thousand times – in St. Albert they’ll either put something else in or pull it down.”
He practised the same habit for other lovely works featuring Banff, Jasper, and even Edmonton. His representation of the Alberta legislature was chosen to represent the province in a permanent exhibit in Ottawa.
Despite his retiring age, he hasn’t hung up his ruler yet although he has passed one flame from his torch to his daughter. Joanne Thomas owns JOLT Graphics, a freelance graphic design and web design service in Calgary for the last 13 years. She said that it’s been wonderful having him as a father and as a mentor. They’re both artists, she pointed out, both with a flair about them, both dreamers, always thinking about the next work, and heads firmly in the clouds.
“I couldn’t ask for a better father. He was always the star dad,” she exclaimed, noting that everybody loved him and his marvelous sense of humour.
Ever since she could remember, he always had a brush or a pencil in his hand. He was always drawing, always taking requests for cartoon characters for entertainment.
He decorated their bedroom walls with Disney figures by memory. A well-rounded artist who could cover everything from Mickey Mouse to folk art. He’s a true artist, she said. He has everything in his head.
“If you ask him to draw something, he can draw it without even thinking.”
One might guess that such an artist as Nuttall with a meticulous eye for precise detail might also be a bit of a nitpicker and neat freak in his personal life. Not so much, Thomas said. She agreed that he’s meticulous with his painting but his studio has always been a disaster.
“If you took a look at his art room, you wouldn’t connect the two together. He’s always getting into trouble with my mom because his brushes are everywhere. He doesn’t clean them. He’s an artist. I’m a little bit like that too. We’re free spirits.”
Now 78, Alan and Anne have said goodbye to their St. Albert home, moving to Calgary last year to be closer to family and grandchildren. While they don’t have family here any more, the ties are still strong in his heart.
“It’ll always be my home, anyway. I’ve really enjoyed living here. It’s been fantastic!” he stated.
That doesn’t mean he’s packed up his pencils, however. He’s still hard at work and his website – www.alannuttall.com – is still up and running, taking orders and keeping him connected to his friends. “The market is always open!” he laughed. Just don’t complain that the site looks like it hasn’t been updated in a while. Computers just aren’t his thing.
People can still find his works around town at Modern Eyes and the Art Gallery of St. Albert. They’re always on display at JDR Insurance, he added, but really, they’re everywhere else too.
