03/09/2026
A heartfelt tribute to Mr Jay Mateer from past pupil and artist Colin Davidson.
Jay Mateer was my first art teacher. At Finaghy Primary School in the 1970s, he taught me, not only about colour, form, light and space, but that Art as a subject was as important as Mathematics, Science or Language in an academic context. On my last day, he signed my autograph book. He wrote: ’To Colin - a fellow artist’. For an 11 year old boy, that meant the world. Over 40 years later, I invited him to my installation as Chancellor of Ulster University at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. Without him, I may not have carved out a life in the visual arts, and I wanted him to hear me acknowledge his impact when I spoke publicly. This is the last photograph of us together. I’m glad he came. Thank you Mr Mateer. Encourager. Rest in Peace, fellow artist.
