Fond farewell to Rotherham's 'godfather of art' as college teacher dies aged 74

Derek Allport, who died on September 3 aged 74, worked at Rotherham College for 38 years before his retirement in 2005 and continued to nuture upcoming talent, curating a series of exhibitions at the Old Market and Coterie galleries.

Former student and fellow artist Rebecca Moss, whose work hung alongside Derek’s, described him as “an inspirational teacher, mentor and friend without which I would not be who I am today”, adding: “He was an inspiration to many and truly lived life to the fullest.”

Art champion and Open Market Gallery curator Vicky Hilton said: “He will be missed. The godfather of art in Rotherham. Such an inspiration and certainly a mentor.”

Derek’s son Laurie (34) said it was “incredible” to realise his father’s impact, adding: “Wherever I go, there’s someone that knew him and is talking about him.”

Asked why his dad was considered inspirational, Laurie said: “As a teacher, he was honest but gentle. 

“He would tell you if you needed to work on your lines but never tell you your work wasn’t good enough. For someone who was strong, he was gentle and softly spoken.

“Some of his idols were masters like Rembrandt but he did not pick a genre and stick with it.

“He had this talent for being able to mix different things — at one stage he was using wood dye and air rifle targets — and could find a composition in something he spotted on the floor. There was something for any student — whatever style they liked, he had an understanding of it.” 

Born in Conisbrough and educated at Balby Street School in Denaby Main and Conisbrough’s Northcliffe Secondary Modern School, Derek had formed a passion for art long before moved on to Rotherham Art School and Kingston-on-Thames School of Art. 

“We were talking recently about one day when the careers people came in and asked which of the boys wanted to be a miner and which wanted to go into the steelworks,” said Laurie.

“Dad put his hand up and said he wanted to be an artist. I think they just looked at him for a moment before moving on!

“I’ve seen some of the murals he did at college and drawings he did of his mum and dad and they’re amazing.”

The South Yorkshire Times reported in 1965: “Derek is well known on Conisbrough for his work, and while at the secondary school he did two murals. 

“He began painting at the age of eight and often made his own comic strips and other pictures.”

After a long and distinguished career at RCAT, which saw him rise to the post of head of art and design, Derek continued to teach part-time in retirement, while also focusing on his own work.

His range of expertise extended to figurative and non-figurative painting and drawing, “constructivist” 3D work, collage and drama.

A member of the Alluvium group of artists, his work was regularly exhibited Rotherham and elsewhere, as well as in the Gallery Town open-air gallery.

Derek produced an enormous portfolio of work, including 24 sketchbooks he filled for his two sons, Laurie and Rowan (35), and more than 200 paintings, which Laurie hopes to showcase as part of a full retrospective of his dad’s work.

Laurie said he had promised his late mum, who died a year ago, that he would continue showing his father work “as long as I am able”.

The proud son, revealed Derek, who died after a short illness, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2007.

“That didn’t stop him, though,” he said.

“He learned to draw with his feet and put on a couple of exhibitions of that work.

“Dad had tremors but that meant it just took him a little longer to paint. He would wait for a little while for the tremors to pass but other than that he didn’t let it affect him.

“Two days before he died, he asked me to get him some more canvasses so there was never any intention to stop. He was going right to the end.

“He was quite an experimentalist but the detail and expression in his figurative art and the distinctive texture of his work is as close as he came to a signature style.”

Former colleague Martin Hinchcliffe called him “amazing,” adding: “Derek was dedicated to helping people find their way through their own creative development and expression. “Derek wasn’t only a lifeline for so many students but he was an inspiration to me and so many other teaching colleagues.”

Derek’s funeral will be held at 1pm next Tuesday, September 24, at St Peter’s Church in Conisbrough, followed by a woodland burial at Ulley.