The artist was born in Shropshire in 1949 and developed a love of painting and nature at an early age when travelling about the countryside.
After formal art training in London, he travelled alone and painted extensively in Europe and for a month in Africa, before settling in North Yorkshire in 1975, where he was well-known and played an active part in the local community, supporting good causes, teaching classes and exhibiting his oil landscapes and etchings locally.
Piers held more than 75 solo exhibitions at venues around the country and abroad, and his work has been featured in numerous books.
A winner of numerous awards, the artist has a number of high-profile fans including the King who was reported to have told the artist at an exhibition in London: “I find your pictures hauntingly and evocatively beautiful.
“In fact, having seen them I hardly dare do any more myself.”
His Majesty also provided the forward for a book by the artist entitled the Glorious Trees of Great Britain.
Rev Dave Clark, vicar of the benefice of Upper Wensleydale, said he first met Piers in 2016 where he welcomed him to the parish with “great energy and enthusiasm”.
“I have loved and valued his friendship ever since. He created a large painting of the nativity with a small group of our children that year and it was wonderful to see him at work, mixing colour and encouraging the children to be creative. He loved that.
“I have referred to him previously as a ‘modern renaissance man’, in that he was an accomplished artist, a poet, a novelist, a musician, a linguist and a composer, to name but a few of his talents.
“He had such a zest for life – always creative – always thinking of the next thing – I loved visiting him at his home and chatting whilst he showed me his latest endeavour.”
Rev Clark said that the artist had a deep-rooted Christian faith.
“He loved Jesus and Jesus shone out of him.
“The day before he died, Kevin, his carer, brought him to the Sunday morning service and it was so lovely to welcome him there.
“He took Communion. His eyes were sparkling, his face was alight with that big beaming smile and you could hear his deep chuckle travelling across the space. I shall remember him that way. Happy with life, happy to be back with his church family and happy to be worshipping the one who meant everything to him.”
Friend Elizabeth Guy added: “Piers was an exceptionally talented artist with a deep love of nature, music, landscapes, and people that inspired him.
“He was a thoroughly likeable, total eccentric, who had a dry wit, natural exuberance and generosity of spirit.”
