The North East artist celebrating four decades in business after starting his career on £40 a week

North East artist Alan Reed in his studio at Dissington Hall
-Credit: (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)


A North East artist who received £40 a week as part of the Government Enterprise Scheme has recently celebrated his 40th year in business.

Alan Reed, 62, began his business 40 years ago and it was partly funded by the Government Enterprise Scheme, which was brought in by Margaret Thatcher. He celebrated his 40th anniversary at the start of this month.

North East artist Alan Reed in his studio at Dissington Hall
North East artist Alan Reed in his studio at Dissington Hall -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

Alan, who is from Ponteland, said: "You had to have £1000 saved up in a business account. With the job that I had, I managed to do this and then the Government paid you £40 a week for that first year. A lot of people used the scheme, but some people once the money ran out after year one they didn’t continue. Tracey Emin also used the scheme."

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One of the first things Alan did with his £40 a week was organise some exhibitions to show off his work.

"I remember putting some work on display in a place called FastFrame, which used to be in Percy Street in Newcastle. I had some commissions that came through, mainly of architectural illustrations of homes before they were built.

"One of the first commissions was for Northern Engineering Industries, which became Rolls Royce. The guy who commissioned me to do a few paintings was called Sir Terry Harrison, and he was chairman at the time."

In 1996, Alan opened his own art gallery in Eldon Garden Shopping Centre with his wife Susan, which brought his work to a wider audience, and also allowed him to gain immediate feedback from his customers.

He had the gallery for six years, before opening a new studio in Ponteland, which was much closer to home. When in Ponteland, Alan was commissioned by Northern Rock, which was a British bank based in Newcastle. They commissioned him to do a range of Northumbrian Castles.

Alan said he has been fortunate enough to travel in his 40 years as an artist, and in 2007 he was invited to Oman and commissioned to do paintings. One of his paintings was given to Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 on her visit to the country for 40th anniversary of HM Sultan Qaboos.

Alan has also been fortunate enough to have travelled to Italy on painting holidays with his wife, where he would teach guests how to paint in what used to be a 13th century church. However, he had to end the holidays due to COVID in 2020.

Alan had painting holidays in Italy, where he would teach guests how to paint
Alan had painting holidays in Italy, where he would teach guests how to paint -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

Alan has just recently down-sized and opened a new art gallery in Dissington Hall, Ponteland. He said: "There are about 20 businesses that operate from here.

“We wanted to have the business separate from our house. It’s a very peaceful place, Dissington Hall. We’re at the stage where we want a quieter life and not having to be at a certain place at a certain time. Dissington Hall works well as I can just go there whenever I want.”

Alan also helps ex-offenders in the community find employment through North East-based charity Junction 42. Since June 2022, he has been teaching art courses in one of the region's prisons.

Members of the public are able to see Alan's artwork, but by appointment-only. He said: "If I'm not there then unfortunately, they won't get to see any of the artwork.

Alan's stunning painting of the Angel of the North using gold leaf
Alan's stunning painting of the Angel of the North using gold leaf -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

"People can come along and collect things they have seen on the internet or on display.”

And Alan revealed he has no plans to retire anytime soon. You can read more about his 40 years in business here.

To visit Alan's website to look at his artwork, click here.