A RESPECTED artist who lived and worked in the town has died.

David Storey, of Clinkham Wood, was a semi-professional landscape artist and died earlier this month, aged 47.

His body was found on the Burgies, off Merton Bank Road.

David graduated from Coventry University with a first-class honours degree in 1989 before studying for a Master of Arts at the Royal College of Art, in London.

In this time he worked as a visiting tutor at various schools in the area including Sutton High, Carmel College and later De La Salle. He also had a studio in the town centre, using his works from this time as his portfolio submission to the Royal College of Art.

In 1992 David won the John Minton Painting Scholarship to Barcelona.

After working as a visiting tutor to schools and colleges he left teaching to concentrate on painting in 1996.

He went on to paint consistently at the Lake District and Snowdonia and had solo exhibitions displayed at the St Helens Museum and Art Gallery, along with other solo and group exhibitions all across the country.

David lived and worked in the Lake District for much of the last decade before spending the last two years living with his parents.

During this period he gave up painting completely, but the day before he died had set up an easel with a canvas and paints.

Head of Art at De La Salle school, Fred Leather said: “I consider David to be the most talented artist I was privileged to meet.”

His funeral is due to take place on Wednesday, at 11am, at St Helens Crematorium.