1936 – 2024
About Ron Davidson
Ron Davidson painted every day for more than 50 years, above all the North East: from the shipyards of the Wear and the pub signs of Vaux to Sunderland AFC and the hills of Teesdale. This is his story, told by his family.
The first painting
Meet Joe
Joe was the family’s Pembrokeshire Corgi, a championship show dog who sadly died young. Losing him moved Ron deeply, and painting Joe was how he dealt with his grief.
After he finished that first painting, Ron never had a brush out of his hand. He painted every day for the next 50 years, and because of Joe we can enjoy his life’s work today.
Sunderland
From Industry to Art
Ron spent 20 years working in industry, and the shipyards, factories and working people of the North East stayed with him. When redundancy came, he turned to what he had seen: Sunderland’s decline as a shipbuilding port. He painted The Last Ships, the last ships built on the River Wear, and it became one of his best-known works.
The North East has a long line of artists inspired by its industry. Ron wanted to show that heritage too, but also the beauty and nature of the North East coast, which inspired him all his life.
Sunderland Polytechnic (now the University of Sunderland)
Sculpture and a Fine Art Degree
In the bleak years of the 1980s, with a young family, Ron took the brave step of going back to university to study Fine Art, while still running his own art business and supporting his family.
He was advised to add another string to his bow rather than concentrate only on watercolour, so sculpture became his focus. It was a medium he thrived in. It made the degree harder, but after five years of hard study he passed with flying colours, with the support of his wife Ellen and the family.
A Sunderland institution
Over 400 Pub Signs for Vaux
Ron was proud to work with Vaux Breweries, one of Sunderland’s and the North East’s great institutions. He was commissioned to paint more than 400 pub signs, hanging outside some of the region’s favourite watering holes, and he also worked on the interiors and design of Vaux Inns and Hotels. Two collage cards of his signs, The Horses and the Heritage Collection, are available in the shop.
When the brewery closed in 1999, Ron gave its managing director, Frank Nicholson, a painting of a Vaux dray. Frank has kindly let us share it.
Ron also loved a good pint of beer, or three.
The Vaux dray, painted for Frank Nicholson in 1999. Courtesy of Frank Nicholson.
“Ron Davidson, although not employed by Vaux, was an integral and valued part of the Brewery and his brilliant artwork adorned very many of our pubs in the form of the pictorial signs that he painted so skilfully. I was a direct beneficiary of these skills when he presented me with a very evocative painting of one of our horse-drawn drays to mark the sad closure of the Brewery in 1999. It hangs with pride in our home!”
— Frank Nicholson, former Managing Director, Vaux Breweries
Football
Sunderland AFC
Ron was a lifelong football supporter. He watched games at Feethams, Ayresome Park, Roker Park and even St James’ Park, but growing up in Roker, his heart was always with Sunderland.
Ron became the club’s official artist, and the high point of his career was being commissioned by the club’s chairman, Sir Bob Murray CBE, to paint a commemorative watercolour of the new Stadium of Light. Into the Light shows the miners of Wearmouth Colliery, whose pit stood where the stadium now is, emerging from the dark into the light of the crowd. Its title still adorns the gates at the stadium. He also painted Farewell to Roker Park, marking the club’s move from its old home in 1997.
When Ron came back from Wembley in 1973, he couldn’t speak for three days. He kept his cup final scarf, rosette and programme for more than 50 years.
“Ron was a talented craftsman and a proud Sunderland supporter, and I always admired the care and pride he put into his work for the Club. Pieces like Into The Light and his tributes to Roker Park captured something truly special about Sunderland and its football heritage. He was part of the fabric of the Club during an important time in our history. It is fitting that his life’s work is being celebrated in this way.”
— Sir Bob Murray CBE, former Chairman, Sunderland AFC
Romaldkirk
A New Canvas in Teesdale
Ron had holidayed in Teesdale for decades, and in 2014 he retired to Romaldkirk. The dale gave him a new canvas: rolling hills, stormy skies, wide views and cascading water. Some of his best work came from living and breathing Teesdale. He loved it, and painted outside on as many days as the weather allowed.
His style changed too. He fell for Turner’s way with light, and you can see it in paintings like Inspired by Turner and Nod to the Master.
“As I was walking our two Welsh Springers, Dad would tag along with his sketch book and mini set of paints. It took longer to position the car in the correct position for him to paint than to walk the dogs, not that he was fussy about getting the correct viewpoint! It was worth the effort, because what he painted in Teesdale is amazing!”
— Janet Coghlan, Ron’s daughter
Romaldkirk Reading Rooms
Encouraging Everyone to Paint
Ron encouraged everyone to paint and draw, and taught art classes at the Reading Rooms in Romaldkirk. From his earliest years he sketched and copied cartoons, and he was never without a pencil, pen or brush in his hand. So many people told him he was talented, and his reply was always the same, modest as ever: “I practise every day, so I am bound to improve!”
He was still painting every day at 88. His last painting was started a few weeks before he died in May 2024.
May 2026
His Life’s Work, Together for the First Time
“Dad always wanted art to be accessible to all. He spent his life painting, teaching and exhibiting his work, but as an unassuming man he never had a big exhibition of his entire life’s work whilst he was alive.”
— Janet Coghlan
In May 2026, in what would have been Ron’s 90th year, Janet and Andrew brought his work together at the Romaldkirk Reading Rooms, where he used to teach, with David Williams of Calico Images, who also makes the prints. Ron Davidson: A Final Brush with the North East showed more than 200 of his paintings and sculptures.
Visitors were invited to help finish his final painting with his own watercolours and brushes, for it to be sold by silent auction for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the charity Ron chose to support.
His paintings have now been digitised, so everyone can enjoy his life’s work through Ron Davidson Art. Every print is faithfully reproduced from one of Ron’s original watercolours, and every order supports GNAAS.
“To Me He Was Just My Dad”
He was so talented and creative. I never realised how lucky I was to have him as a dad, nurturing my own creativity.
His style was diverse and always changing. You’ll all have your favourite works, and I’m sure they’ll all be different, but the most important thing to Dad was allowing people access to art.
The exhibition was his farewell gift to us all, and his wish was also to raise much-needed funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Loved and missed always, Janet x
Take Home a Piece of Ron Davidson’s Work
From the shipyards of the Wear to the hills of Teesdale, every print tells part of the same story. Every order helps the Great North Air Ambulance too.