This was Trevor's fourth exhibition at the gallery which was again, as always, a tremendous success and attended by so many. Trevor took a lot of inspiration for this exhibition from Rome's architecture, history and atmosphere, a city which he visited once again, during the summer. A selection of his paintings that were chosen for exhibition were those that he painted whilst on location in Rome, 'en plein air', alongside other nostalgic architectural and figurative scenes from bygone times up to the present day.
Trevor's database of collectors continues to grow far and wide and he has many avid fans. The following is just one accolade of many that he has received and I think it poignant to put it here on the website for all to read.
Jottings of a fan
"I started painting in 1998 as a raw novice when my daughter bought me some art materials for Christmas. I thought watercolours would be easiest because everyone starts with watercolours. I bought Ron Ranson's book, 'Water Colour Impressionists' and discovered English artists such as Edward Seago, William Russell Flint, John Yardley, Trevor Chamberlain and others.
Amazon proved to be a great source of books profiling these great artists and I devoured them. Then I joined an art clas in Wigan where the teacher based his lessons on these artists and we attempted to emulate their work. I was in awe of their mastery of this most difficult medium but this was reverance at a distance. I never expected to get nearer than a book or a video to these paragons of art. Then in September 1999 I was flicking through the pages of Lancashire Life and as I turned a page these unbelievable watercolour paintings hit me between the eyes. They were by a local artist from Sabden called Trevor Lingard. Although I now live in Atherton near Bolton, in my youth I lived in Padiham and went to Clitheroe Royal Grammar School so I knew Sabden well. I was gob-smacked at the quality of the paintings which, even in a magazine article, appeared to me to be at least the equal of the masters which I'd been admiring and studying.
According to the article Trevor's creations were available for sale at a Whalley art gallery for modest sums. I phoned the gallery immediately to ensure that they had some Lingards' in stock and visited them the following day when I bought my first two Lingards. As a business man I like to think that the things I buy for pleasure will also prove to be a sound investment and I've never been more sure of anything than the potential for appreciation in value of these paintings. I now own eighteen Lingard watercolours which are proudly hanging in my home alongside my paintings by Turner, Seago, Russell-Flint, Yardley, and Campbell-Smith".
Bill Parkinson, Chairman of Moorhouse's Brewery (Burnley) Ltd.