ONE of the region's finest artistic talents has died.

Heartfelt tributes have poured in for Tom Dearden, from Grange, who died on Saturday aged 77.

Mr Dearden was born in Ulverston and lived a 'down to earth' life as a countryman and painter in Grange.

He has displayed his works at the Royal Academy and two of his oils featured in the highly treasured collection at Kendal’s Abbot Hall Art Gallery.

Mr Dearden is one of only a handful of British artists to win the Paris Salon Gold Medal for his painting of The Petrel.

Regarded by many as one of the nation’s most gifted painters, Mr Dearden lived and was educated in Dalton.

When he left school he became an apprentice butcher and it was while attending night school in a meat inspection class, that one of the tutors spotted his drawing skills, and suggested he should go to art college.

He was offered a place at Lancaster and Morecambe College then moved to London, working as a labourer while attend Slade School of Art.

He remained in London until the end of the 1970s, before returning north to Cumbria.

Friend, Graham Twyford, described him as an 'inspiring' and 'disciplined' man.

He said: "Tom lived the life of a down to earth countryman who happened to be a natural high-octane painter.

"His circle of friends was large with many fluctuations and was likely to include more fishermen and farm workers than artists.

"For some painters in South Cumbria, myself and John Duffin included, he must be considered an inspiration to those who saw the exhibited works. My eyes were opened as a young lad going into Grange Art Society show around 1970 seeing my first Dearden and realising that art was a far greater thing than I had imagined.

"He is often depicted as a man of excessive habit, but had a great discipline at work combined with exuberant natural abilities that gave us at first the highly defined figurative works that took realism and finish to a degree unsurpassed by the masters of the Renaissance.

"It will take time for Tom’s work to resurface for all to enjoy but we may look forward to a retrospective show eventually."