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John Wright, a passionate and curious artist and lecturer, has died aged 88.

Born in Islington in 1928 to Dorothy and Frederick Wright, John, an only surviving child, attended Stationers School in Hornsey before being evacuated with his mother to a small cottage in Buckinghamshire, along with other family members.

When John left school he joined the Engineering Department of the General Post Office, where both his father and grandfather had worked. He did his national service at 19 in the Royal Air Force, where he developed an interest in all things aeronautical – a theme later reflected in his paintings. John did not see active service but used the time to read avidly.

He started painting early in his life but had no formal art training until his late twenties when he attended classes at Hornsey College of Art. He began sketching scenes around the East End, the Thames and the City, and steadily developed his skills as an artist.

In the 1960s and 70s John became established as a well-respected painter and his work was included in many notable exhibitions including the Piccadilly Gallery, Bradford City Art Gallery, the Royal Academy summer exhibition, the Industrial Painters’ Group and London Guildhall.

In the late 60s John became a part-time lecturer at North London College – now City and Islington College in Camden Road. He retired as senior lecturer in Art and Design in 1986.

He was seen as a good if slightly quirky teacher and always tried to make his students think outside the box. He was particularly successful with adults who had left education.

John and his first wife Margaret had two sons, Timothy and Jonathon. He had six grandchildren.

John met Ceri Nicholas in 1975 at North London College. They fell in love and began living in Islington in 1976. They eventually married in New York in 1997. The couple, who lived in Upper Holloway, also enjoyed time at their cottage in a small hamlet in West Dorset.

In retirement John was able to devote himself more fully to painting.

He used a wide variety of styles and techniques and his paintings reflected his concerns and passions – aeronautics, the flamboyance of Spain, the relationship between man and machines and the stark brutality of armed authority.

In the 90s and early 2000s he exhibited in several group shows and had two successful one-man shows at the Millinery Works in Islington.

He worked with the poet Robert Vas Dias in two collaborations combining words and images. The publication resulting from the first collaboration, The Guts of Shadows, led to an exhibition at Art First in Cork Street.

Alzheimer’s sadly took its toll on John during the last 10 years of his life but he and Ceri managed to continue doing many of the things they loved doing together.