It would have taken more than a drop of rain to dampen the enthusiasm of the family, friends and neighbours who gathered to watch Tenby’s Mayor, Laurence Blackhall, unveil a plaque to commemorate the life and work of local artist and designer, the late Eric Bradforth.

Tenby Civic Society and the Bradforth family have joined together to commission the blue plaque which now adorns Eric’s old home in Trafalgar Road. No doubt the man himself would have blushed at the fulsome tribute to him, written by his good friend, John Beynon, and delivered by the Mayor.

The Bradforths would like to thank the Civic Society for overseeing the production of the plaque and for all the work they do to enhance Tenby and its environs and to bring people and places of interest to the attention of both residents and visitors alike.

MEMORIES OF ERIC

Eric Bradforth, like scores of artists before his time and after, came from England to settle in Pembrokeshire influenced by the natural beauty of the area, its significant history and culture (writes John Beynon). These themes recurred frequently in his artwork and he, in time, came to be regarded as a local artist, a title which greatly pleased him.

It was a great honour for me to plan, curate and present an exhibition of Eric’s work in 1996 at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery for an audience of predominantly local visitors, most of whom were already aware of his talent as an artist and as a designer of note.

That exhibition led to Eric’s long association with the Museum and for many years he was a stalwart member of our volunteers, contributing many ideas on the content, design and interpretation of exhibitions of various aspects of the Museum’s work. His team-leadership skills, innovative design techniques, knowledge of materials and sources enabled him to play a vital role in enhancing many exhibitions in all the galleries. Much in evidence, also, was his sense of humour which made the Museum a joyous work place - there was always laughter when Eric was around. His experience in design was always willingly passed on to other workers in the Museum.

As someone involved in the planning of exhibitions, I was to work a great deal with Eric. Throughout our working life I never ceased to be impressed by his preparatory research into every conceivable aspect of exhibition preparation: the historic subjects contained in his work were always meticulously researched from primary sources. For example, much of his work was helped by specialist historians, including renowned medieval historian, Tenby-born Dr. Ron Walker of Aberystwyth University.

Eric’s work for children was also extremely well presented, giving added impetus to the motto of the Museum’s educational policy ‘to visit - to see - to understand - to learn - to enjoy’. Towards the end, Eric began a new adventure, using an iPad to make art, as does the artist, David Hockney, whose work he much admired. In this venture he had the active encouragement of his family. At this time I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Eric’s studio where we exchanged ideas and books, occasionally indulging in elements of local Tenby gossip which we both relished.

I have often thought that, perhaps in time, in order to increase public awareness and to understand more fully Eric’s life story, his style and his numerous skills, the publication of a monograph might be possible, to include his early work, his contribution to the life of Tenby, a range of illustrations and a critical assessment of his work, together with some of his own writing in which he showed considerable skill. This publication might be well supported by a retrospective exhibition?... and, where might this exhibition be held?... why not his beloved Tenby Museum and Art Gallery in the town and county whose history he interpreted so skilfully?