13-Aug-1940 - 12-Nov-2022
Alan Wilson passed away at the Michael Garron Hospital on Saturday November 12, 2022. He was 82.
Alan was born in August 1940 in Irvinestown, Northern Ireland. His childhood during the war and the rolling landscapes of County Fermanagh left an impression that informed his paintings and lasted a lifetime.
In Toronto, he attended the Ontario College of Art, followed by a career as an art teacher.
His inspirations roamed from the art and cultures of the Sahel to the Weimar Republic, from Marcel Proust to James Joyce, from Kurt Schwitters to Anselm Kiefer. He was prolific as a painter and picture maker, ranging from water colours to mixed-media photo collages, inspired by cinema, urbanism, politics and archaeology.
His world was expansive, with a library of books, movies and music that reflected his many interests. He was always eager to meet people over a glass of wine for long conversations on many topics. He left an impression on all who met him, always engaged, curious and heartfelt.
He traveled widely and was pleased to say he had gone around the world. His travels were of a piece with his life-long passions in ancient history, art, architecture and culture that informed so much of his own artwork and world view. This passion was infectious and there were many a night with animated discussions along with maps and books from the steppes of Central Asia to the Yangtze River, or from Prague to Savannah, Georgia.
Alan is survived by sons Ashley Wilson and Christopher Wilson, daughters-in-law Katy Aminian and Misa Formanova and grandchildren Adrian Wilson and Mia Wilson, former wife Lois Parker and dear friend Liam Rodrigues. He is predeceased by his father John "Fred" Wilson, mother Margaret Wilson and sister Reverend Alice Wilson.
To honour his life and his legacy, a Memorial Celebration will be held at 4:00pm, Saturday December 3, 2022.
Inurnment of ashes will be in the Highland Memory Gardens, Willowdale, Ontario.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Taylor Funeral Home.