Newsletter July 2021
Emerging from lockdown edition
As we go into print, we are expecting many lockdown restrictions to be
lifted on 19th July 2021, sixteen months after they were first imposed. It
has been a difficult and isolating time for many and we hope you have
fared well enough. With the reassurance of the double vaccination, we
are looking forward to meeting up again as a society very soon.
During lockdown restrictions your committee have met regularly by zoom
and lately in members’ gardens and we have an exciting programme of
events and news to share with you.
Our AGM on Tuesday 21st September will be our first live event at the
airy and spacious Colwall Village Hall. In order to streamline the
necessary business, reports will be sent out by email/post in advance of
the meeting and the main focus of the evening will be a talk by artist
Brian Gorst. Some of you may have heard Brian’s
excellent talk ‘An Artist’s Appreciation’ on Youtube during lockdown which he prepared for
our members.
Brian has kindly agreed to appear in
person and in his own engaging and inimitable style
to elaborate further on a number of stylistic and
thematic characteristics that make Laura Knight’s work so important,
unique and inspirational. We hope you are able to join us.
For further details of forthcoming events, see page 3.
2
Wind back 56 years to July 1965……
Laura Knight was in the news in July 1965 when she made history by being the first
woman to hold a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy. It was a major retrospective
with 260 pieces exhibited.
In the introduction to the exhibition catalogue, Laura’s fellow senior Royal
Academician Sir William Russell Flint writes: ‘No artist could be more delightful to
write about than Dame Laura Knight. The only difficulty lies in expressing
appreciation and affection well enough. On this occasion there will be no stint of
either.’
Laura was clearly riding on the crest of a wave of success. On the 9th August The
Times reported an interview with her in her studio and she was described as ‘a
woman with bright blue eyes, gentle manners and the enthusiasms of a child’. Not a
bad report for an 88 year old!
Dame Laura Knight in conversation with Sir Charles Wheeler, President of the Academy, on the occasion of the private
view of her major retrospective exhibition. 16th July 1965
3
FUTURE EVENTS
21st September 2021 Colwall Village Hall 6.45pm SHORT AGM followed by TALK
by Brian Gorst. ‘Laura Knight: An Artist’s Appreciation’. Refreshments. Free entry.
9
th October – 20th February 2022 Exhibition at Milton Keynes Gallery. Largest
exhibition of Dame Laura Knight’s work for 50 years.
15th
– 24th October 2021 Exhibition of reproductions of Laura Knight’s work. Brave
Fine Art. Belle Vue Terrace, Malvern. Another chance to view the wonderful prints
which were on display last year along Church Walk. Free entry.
6
th November 2021 Talk by Brendan Flynn ‘The Call of the Wild’. Colwall Village
Hall 3pm Refreshments Tickets tel: 07792 154436 or on door £5 members £10
non- members. Please pre-book if you can. Brian was Curator of Fine Art at
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. He will talk about the origins of the Newlyn
Colony and the important contribution made by ‘The Birmingham Boys’.
And looking ahead……
Late January 2022 (date tbc) VISIT to Milton Keynes Gallery to the DLK exhibition
April/May 2022 TALK by Frances Spalding – details tbc
July 2022 Social event
More details of the above in our next newsletter in December 2021
4
Catherine Wallace on ‘Laura Knight’s Models’ March 2021
Maybe it was a happy irony that the talk in which the focus was not on Laura
Knight but on the collection of beautiful people surrounding her; friends who
became models, models who became friends, characters drawn to Laura by her
dynamic approach to her art, and Laura, fascinated by almost any colourful
person who came within her orbit and drawn as if by a magnet towards them to
capture them with her palette, gave an extra insight into the artist herself.
The speaker gave us potted biographical details of the many people who came
into Laura Knight’s orbit, fleshing them out with information which encouraged a
wider view of the characters whose names have become familiar to all who have
followed the artist’s career. We heard how the village children of Staithes – a
place of early frugal days for both the Knights -were happy to model for a
penny, or a sweetie, or a piece of fruit. These children were cheap, readily
available models and posing offered,
perhaps, a brief warm haven from the
rigours of an impoverished life and a
modest reward from, at that time, an
almost equally poor artist but one
generous with her time and her
money. It is interesting to compare
‘Dressing the Children’ with ‘Flying a
Kite’. The subjects of the first,
beautifully posed in a small domestic
scene, are static. It suggests that the
artist was deeply moved by the hardships
which she encountered. Laura herself
writes with great emotion about the
circumstances of these villagers and
subconsciously records the
claustrophobia of their plight with the
sombre tones and the angles of the limbs
and head of all the characters. Compare
those models with the rosy cheeked,
Dressing the Children Laura Knight c.1906
Flying a Kite Laura Knight 1910
5
gaily dressed group of the second. ‘Bright and breezy, free and easy’, with
extravagant gestures in sunlit pastures. It is clear that both artist and models
feel free to enjoy the warmth of the South. Maybe much over-sentimentalised,
but a clear illustration of the artist’s hyper-sensitivity to any dramatic moment;
of heat and light, whether natural or man-made. Driven, perhaps, by her
emotional response, which may have played a part in her changing styles, her
obsession with staged events and her ambition to equal any skill or craft she
admired, Laura underwent a sea-change when she went to Cornwall. Her work and
her life-style reflected the freedom it gave her.
Phyllis Vipond-Crocker was an early member of a coterie of beautiful people who
were gathered to this coastal Eden. She had a stunning beauty, in high demand
to several famous painters of the time. She led a colourful life which matched
her colourful appearance. Laura delighted in it, in both words and paint. The
model’s insouciant air, the devil-may-care effect of the blue stockings and the
silver buckles on her shoes, featuring in more than one painting, the whole
crowned by a boyish crop which captured the painter’s imagination, made it clear
that this was a favourite sitter; the sentiment established by the excellent
pencil sketch by Laura at the start of their acquaintance. Phyllis went on to
marry a Russian, moved to London, assisted her husband in an antiquarian bookshop and led a Bohemian life until her suicide in 1938. By this time the styles,
both of life and painting were moving on to a different era, led by the
Bloomsbury set… Fry, Grant, Bell – with their own chaos and creativity. And how
Laura, with her irrepressible vitality, would have revelled in all of that.
Ella Naper, the speaker told us, was a very active member of this group. She and
Phyllis worked together. Both had been trained at Art School and collaborated,
making jewellery, using various techniques, such as enamelling and designing and
making decorative silverware. Laura Knight admired this work and was shown
some of the techniques required, then producing work of her own. Ella it was
who modelled for the iconic ‘Self-Portrait’ painted in 1913. Her husband Charles
had built a hut on Bodmin moor and the Knights and the Napers spent time
there, lazing in the sun, painting, enjoying the nudity, swimming and painting,
that the privacy allowed them. Ella had trained at the Camberwell School of Art,
and enjoying life en plein air, posed for both Laura and Harold.
6
Dolly Snell. Already a ballet dancer, actor and model when she and Laura met.
The two became firm friends and Laura insisted that Dolly teach her ballet
steps. Dolly it was who modelled for the ‘The Green Feather’, wearing a dress
which Laura had had made for herself, a black jacket and a large hat with a
sweeping feather. This portrait, capturing the theatrical drama of the pose and
the costumes, was widely regarded as one of Laura’s most accomplished works.
With her energy and determination, the whole work was completed in a day – the
sky being altered as the light changed. It was a huge success, thanks in part to
the stoicism of Dolly, and was bought by the National Gallery of Canada in 1912.
Dolly Henry. Before meeting Laura, Dolly had modelled in London and worked for
sometime at the Slade School of Art. She had long red hair, a feature made
much of by the artist and high-lighted in later sitters who had been endowed
with these long tresses. Poor Dolly had a short life. She fled to the safety of
Cornwall to escape an abusive husband, met Laura who engaged her on the spot
and she appears in a portrait named ‘Mallows’. When she returned to London, she
was shot by her husband, who then killed himself.
Florence Carter Wood. Again, a rather brief report from our speaker, matching
the tragically short life of the model. Florence was wooed by Alfred Munnings,
and they married in 1912. Florence tried, and failed, to commit suicide on her
wedding night. However, within two years, her second try was successful.
Dame Eileen Mayo. Already a celebrated artist in her own right shared a
friendship with Laura which lasted for many years. She was in great demand as a
model; her many talents included design, printmaking and illustration. She taught
at The Slade, particularly wood and lino cutting. She posed for Laura several
times. ‘Blue and Gold’, an acclaimed portrait features Eileen’s sculptural smooth
flesh and her equally smooth hair. This portrait was mocked up for a newsreel
made by Pathe to mark Laura’s becoming an Associate Member of the Royal
Academy. Eileen later went to Australia where she taught and later joined her
family, mother and sister in New Zealand.
Three men were singled out as models: Lamorna Birch, with a relaxed and
friendly manner became a friend and a mentor. In one of her autobiographies,
Laura describes him in detail: his smooth skin, his slender beard, his rough
tweed jacket and his stockings which showed off his splendid calves. Clearly, she
liked him.
7
Barry Jackson – we were shown a sketch but his influence on the character and
the work of Laura Knight was huge. It was he who introduced her to the theatre,
to Malvern and to many future commissions. One of these was George Bernard
Shaw and we saw a portrait of a highly self-satisfied man practising his twinkly
persona on Laura and dominating the conversation. I daresay she dealt with him
with the same vigour that he himself practised.
From 1919 onwards the Knights maintained a
studio in Lamorna but spent some months of the
year in London where they became keen
theatre-goers. This is how Laura first saw Anna
Pavlova, she of ‘The Dying Swan’, a role created
for her by Fokine, with whom she trained.
Laura was entranced by her skill and painted
her many times, fascinated by her Slavic
features and brilliant technique. ‘I never missed
a show, she held me in such a degree’ – she
wrote. Tamara Karsavina, who was born in
St.Petersburg and trained at the Imperial
Ballet School, danced often with Nijinski and
created roles with Fokine. One of these was ‘The Firebird’ and Laura captured in
paint the passion and the drama of the dance. Two more prima ballerinas, Olga
Spessiva and Lydia Lopokova, sat for Laura. Lydia criticised the artist’s
rendering of one pose and invited her to work, over a period of time, in her
dressing room. She appears in many successful ‘behind the scenes’ paintings.
The world of theatre also claimed Laura Knight. Largely through her friendship
with Barry Jackson, Laura had access to the wings of many famous theatres and
their inhabitants. She attended rehearsals and performances and became
acquainted, and painted, many of the famous of the time, John Gielgud, Gwen
Ffrangcon-Davies amongst others. We were shown many images of these two,
including Geilgud in Macbeth and as Romeo, and Gwen in several roles, including
Juliet and in ‘The Barratts of Wimpole Street’ As before, the costumes
intrigued Laura and she took a hand in designing one.
Lights, bright colours, costumes and the drama of any kind of performance drew
Laura to the world of the circus. She became obsessed with the artistes and
Madonna (head study of Lydia Lopokova)
Laura Knight c.1923 Etching
8
spent more than a year travelling with them. Living in, often rather sleazy,
accommodation and in sometimes quite hazardous places, she sketched a
hundred circus folk. Clowns were her favourite subjects; Whimsical Walker
visited her studio and sat for her many times, becoming a close companion and a
friend together with Joe and Ally Bert. Horses, elephants, ponies, trapeze
artists all make up the gathering of performers who appear in Charivari – a
concoction of characters she had known and admired. This huge canvas had a
very mixed reception and, when Laura saw her collection of circus work in a
gallery agreed that it was too many. Harold called her ‘circus crazy. You are not
a performer’. How wrong he was.
The gypsies had the same strong draw for Laura
Knight. Mostly based in Iver, they were another
motley crew, the ethnic clothing, and the restless
vagabond life all appealed to her lively curiosity. She
painted the rough and tumble of their camps, their
hop-picking gatherings and their fairground roles.
Two unnamed models appear in ‘Ascot Finery’ in 1936
and two years later ‘Grannie Smith’. This old lady
intrigued Laura – she painted her at least twice more,
showing off her clothes ‘Ascot Finery’ and then a
part interior of her caravan. Her son Gildroy Smith,
painted in 1939, now, we were told, in The Tate, and
his wife Beulah, another model who Laura befriended
and again, the long hair of the sitter a feature of the three portraits we were
shown.
The last colourful character was Ruby Loftus. Ruby was a young conscript in the
Royal Ordnance Factory in Newport, working on a lathe turning a breech ring.
This was highly specialised work and Ruby was admired for her skill. Laura
worked very hard for almost three weeks, sketching then painting and again,
enjoying the exciting surroundings and the colourful clothing of her model. They
became firm friends; Ruby was invited to the R.A. when the painting was hung
then enjoyed a cocktail party at the Ritz. Laura gave her a portrait for a
wedding present, they stayed in touch and, on her return from Canada, met
again. There is a photograph, taken at the Imperial War Museum in 1962, of
both artist and sitter standing in front of the picture smiling at each other.
The Gypsy (portrait of Guilderoy
Smith) Laura Knight 1939
9
Such a happy image to take away from this informative, engaging and
wonderfully kaleidoscopic talk by our speaker Catherine Wallace.
Gwyn Klee
Countess Varvara Golovin by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun,
Barber Institute, Birmingham
One of the paintings in the Barber collection stands out particularly for
me; the portrait of a Russian countess by a French artist. The Friends of
Dame Laura Knight Society’s visit to the Barber Institute was postponed
in 2020, but when we rearrange our visit, I thought it might be useful to
highlight the importance of this work.
ElisabethVigée Le Brun, (of whom more below), painted Countess Varvara
Golovin between 1797 and 1800 while Elisabeth was living in Russia,
essentially because she was persona non grata in her home country of
France, due to having been an artist who painted, and was associated
with, aristocrats in the court of Louis XVI.
10
This work shows the influence of the neo classical, (Vigée Le Brun’s
contemporary and countryman, Jacques Louis David being an important
source of this new approach). Varvara Golovin is unaccompanied by any
rococo embellishments: lace, hats, important and expensive possessions
etc; she is portrayed in an octagonal frame, (which concentrates our
attention), and the pose is dramatic, intimate, and like many Vigée Le
Brun portraits, very engaging. The sitter contributed to the sessions:
“Her wit and talent were sufficient to keep us entertained” observed Vigée
Le Brun; this was no vacuous deb.
The setting, although sparse, indicates her position in space, with the
light cutting diagonally across the background, setting up a line of
direction, (emphasized by Golovin’s tangle of hair which follows the shaft
of light), and which is countered by the swing of the arm back towards
the origin of the light. The angle of her elbow steadies these opposing
stresses and helps us to register the full force of her gaze. The only piece
of diversion is the embroidery on the edge of her shawl and on her wrist.
No indications of the sitter’s interests or status are included in the work;
she is who she is, and in that sense this is also an Enlightenment
painting; the individual as sole subject.
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was born in 1755 and died in 1842. She was the
daughter of a painter, and as Germaine Greer has pointed out in The
Obstacle Race, daughters of painters often ended up as professional,
(albeit often unacknowledged), painters. What marks her out is her
willingness to embark on a career independent of male support. Vigée Le
Brun was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture
at 19, (a membership abolished – as were all female Academicians –
following the revolution), married at 21 to a painter/art dealer, had one
child, a daughter, and was fully occupied in painting the leaders of society
and the court – she painted a magnificent group portrait, for instance, of
Marie Antoinette and her children. She did not neglect herself as a
subject; her self-portraits, (often a kind of artistic advertisement), are
delightful and technically confident, Elisabeth wearing clothes which make
no concessions to the demands of a messy paint-covered palette, but
contributing immensely to the attractiveness of the subject.
Her work up to this point was no recommendation to the likes of
Robespierre et al, and in 1789 she fled France with her daughter and
governess, leaving her commercially exploitative husband behind in
France. (She and her husband were well known for their salon, attracting
the great, the witty and the wealthy, and Elisabeth had attracted much
11
snide criticism for her position as a female painter, and libellous
suggestions that she conducted affairs with her male sitters). She worked
in Italy, Austria, Russia and then Germany. The Golovin portrait was
completed during her time in St Petersburg, and while she did not
manage to paint Catherine the Great, (owing to the latter’s sudden
stroke), she had plenty of commissions in that city, and the other
countries she lived in.
In 1802 her name was removed from the official list of counter-emigrés
and she returned to France, where her husband had been forced to
divorce her, due to a threat by the authorities of having his and her
property confiscated. Subsequently she visited London and Switzerland,
retiring eventually to Louveciennes, where she died and is buried.
She impresses me with her disciplined approach to her work, her
independence, and her unwavering belief in herself as a professional
artist, quite apart from the charm and delight of her portraits. Like male
professional artists, she thought of herself as one, and had all the drive
and competence to succeed. Her: ‘Points that should be observed before
you begin to paint’ reveal something of her rigorous down-to-earthiness:
‘you should always be ready half an hour before the model arrives. This
helps to gather your thoughts and is essential for several reasons:
You should never keep anyone waiting
Your palette must be prepared
People or business should not interfere with your concentration’
She was unsentimental in negotiating high fees for her commissions,
appears to have been liked by many people – her social circle was wide,
cultured, even glittering – and seems to have been unassociated with any
scandal; her work came first, and she was aided in this attitude by a full
time governess and companion for her child – an essential for a
successful career of a female artist with offspring.
She is not an artist who is particularly well known outside specialist art
history; (the first retrospective exhibition of her work was held in 1982 in
Texas and a major show in Paris only in 2015), but, like all the best
portraitists, she delivered the goods. As a sitter one would have been
confident of being portrayed at one’s best, by a consummate technician,
sure of her talents.
12
Further Reading: Vigée Le Brun wrote a very
interesting and observant memoir starting with her
career in Paris and continuing to her retirement: The
Memoirs of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Camden Press
1989, translated by Siân Evans.
A beautifully illustrated edition of many of her
works, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in 2016, ISBN: 978-1-58839-581-8
Diana Stockford
Review of Exhibition ‘Dame Laura Knight: A Celebration’
Allez Oop! Aka The Finishing Horse 1954 Dame Laura Knight
What better way to celebrate the easing of lockdown than in the company of Laura
Knight with an exhibition aptly named: Laura Knight: A Celebration
13
Portrait Study – Girl’s Profile 1896
Penlee House Gallery, Penzance , have excelled in
their exhibition collection of paintings, etchings,
lithographs and porcelain.
It begins with Laura Knight’s early years in
Nottingham. Ironically, the very first exhibit is not by
Laura but by her husband, Harold. His portrait of the
fourteen year old girl and fellow student at Nottingham
School of Art shows Laura’s strength and
determination even at this tender age. Laura’s early
work includes a couple of portraits in charcoal,
sensitively drawn demonstrating an affinity to
sympathise and connect with her models.
The exhibition then takes us on to her time in Staithes
where she struggled to find ways of expressing herself. The bleak oil painting of
‘Fisherfolk Baiting Lines on the Cobbles’ contrasts with the delicate watercolour of
‘The Knitting Lesson’. This period includes three extended visits to Laren in Holland
and the exhibition shows rare examples of her work from this equally muted and
agricultural landscape.
The next phase of Laura’s
career began in 1907 with a
move to Cornwall and the
exhibition captures the
change of mood perfectly
with ‘At the Edge of the Cliff’
1917 painted at Lamorna
Cove. The sudden explosion
of light and colour
characterises Laura’s work
for the next twelve years.
Moving on to Gallery 2 there
is a feeling that Laura Knight
reaches maturity in style,
composition and technique
with a collection of her
portraits. Hanging side by side are Eileen Mayo and Ethel Bartlett (painted 1926,
1927 respectively) portrayed as confident, successful women, perhaps much as
Knight herself was feeling at this time. Examples of Laura Knight’s etching and
drypoint includes the beautiful ‘Gilding the Lily’ and ‘Make Up’, taking the viewer
seamlessly on from portraits to theatre and performance in Gallery 3.
At the Edge of the Cliff 1917 Dame Laura Knight
14
Pride of place and strongly lit on the end wall is ‘Allez Oop! Aka The Finishing Horse’
- With a full gallery length viewpoint, it is perfectly hung, and it adds a touch of
drama to the exhibition.
Dramatic in a different way are examples of Laura
Knight’s lithographs. Although simple in composition
and with a limited colour palette they were used to
produce striking posters such as London Transport’s
‘Rugby at Twickenham’ poster 1921. I think Laura
would be rather surprised to discover this simple four
colour design is one of the most popular underground
posters of all time!
In Gallery 4 are some of Laura Knight’s most popular
and well known works. Dominating the end wall is ‘The
Dock, Nuremberg’ 1946 – an absolute masterpiece
and vital record of WW2 history, as is ‘Ruby Loftus
screwing a Breech Ring’ 1943.
Finishing the exhibition are Laura’s
landscapes in and around Malvern. Three
agricultural scenes (including the rarely
displayed ‘Walter and Fred Bishop Loading
Corn’ c.1939) and ‘Storm Over our Town’1935-
51, which has all the drama of a grand finale.
In short, this exhibition showcases some of
Laura Knight’s best works, such as her
portraits of Ethel Bartlett and Eileen Mayo, but
also includes some rarely seen paintings from
private collections. Penlee House has produced an excellent leaflet with details of
each painting and some biographical notes, useful to anyone new to Laura Knight’s
work. There is a lavishly illustrated companion guidebook accompanying the
exhibition ‘Laura Knight : A Celebration’ but note there are more works discussed in
the book than displayed at Penlee as this is a relatively modest exhibition of 48 hung
pieces. Additionally, there are two glass cases showing smaller pieces such as
etchings, ceramics and enamel work. Perhaps the most memorable item in the
display case is the selection from the ‘Circus’ dinner service (as part of the ‘Bizarre’
range by Clarice Cliff) – memorable because there was a certain element of Laura’s
impishness in the circus designs.
This exhibition is well worth a visit and runs until 16th September 2021.
Walter and Fred Bishop Loading Corn c.1939
15
Susan Edwards is ‘Inspired by Local Heroes’
Ed. Society member and artist, Susan Edwards, explains how the work of Laura Knight has inspired
her own work.
Feast after Lock Down famine!
I have just visited ‘A Celebration’ An exhibition of the work of Dame Laura Knight, at The Penlee
Gallery, Penzance, and everything in it reminds me why I have been inspired by her work all my life!
First it is her technical ability: thrilling colour applied with a broad brush; vigorous draughtsmanship;
a command of composition, and an ability to work in any medium. So much to interest and
challenge!
Then there is her eye for dramatic subject matter, whether it is a stunning sunset, characters or
performers.
Ultimately though, what grabs me is the speed and intensity of her observation. A scrutiny which can
only be attained in front of your subject, and needs to be got down onto the canvas before the light
changes. I mean of course, working en plein air.
Both Dame Laura and I grew up in households surrounded by fabrics. Her mother and grandmother
were in the rag trade as mine were. My grandmother was a Leeds tailoress, skilled in making coats,
suits, dresses. My mother owned a dress shop. Laura designed and made her own clothes for many
years, and so did I. She knew exactly how to paint the drape and sheen of a delicious silk gown.
NB Following works by Dame Laura are prefixed DLK, while mine are SE
DLK: The Green Feather, 1912, Oil
on canvas, 214.7 x 153.5cm,
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
SE: Portrait of Lady Katie
Townsend Rose, oil on linen, size
102 x 153cm
16
Like Dame Laura I love drawing and painting dancers, movement, theatre… Art is itself a
performance of sorts, one step from reality, and thrives on interpretation and imagination.
I saw her ‘Two O’gusts and Two Lions’ at the Laing Gallery in Newcastle. The electricity of her line
crackles through the drawing just as described in her autobiography ‘The Magic of a Line’. Inspired
by her circus and fairground paintings I took a group of undergraduate BA students to paint The
Hoppins on Newcastle Town Moor, and was invited to sketch a trapeze artist rehearsing, which
resulted in a hand coloured lithographic print.
DLK: Make Up, 1925, Etching and
Drypoint, 25.4 x 20cm, from a
private collection lent to The Penlee
House Gallery for ‘A Celebration’
SE: Lara making up, Oil on linen,
size 46 x 51cm
DLK: Two O’gusts
and Two Lions,
1930,
Watercolour,
Imperial sheet,
Laing Art Gallery,
Newcastle
SE: Circus Acrobat,
6 colour lithograph,
size 41 x 55cm.
17
I retired early from teaching, and hastened down to Lamorna, Sennen and St Ives, and discovered
the sea really was the rainbow of colour she had painted it.
Decades later, when I came to live in Hereford, Dame Laura inspired me anew, re-discovering her
connection with the landscape and rural life of the region. One of my ‘Spirit in the Malverns’
paintings was selected for the New English Art Club Exhibition 2020
Exhibition ‘Inspired by Local Heroes’ by artist Susan Edwards MA FRSA
1 – 29 September at Hereford Art Gallery Free admission
For more information contact Susan on: 07531521721 susanedwardspaintings.com
SE: Evening Fills The Golden Bowl,
Lamorna, Oil on canvas, size 31 x 41 cm.
DLK: Lamorna Cove, Oil on canvas,
Size 97.8 x 137.8 cm.
DLK: Autumn Sunset, Oil on Canvas,
Size 63.5 x 76cm, Private Collection.
SE: The Spirit in The Malverns 1, Oil
on linen, size 41 x 71 cm.
18
Art Historian, author and lecturer, Catherine Wallace, has news of her
forthcoming workshops and lectures.
Course on ‘The First Colony: St. Ives artists 1890 -1949’
http://www.cathwallace.co.uk/
Either in person at Truro Library or by zoom
Thursdays 9 September – 21 October at Truro Library
10.30 – 12.30pm
And Tuesdays 14 September – 26 October 10.30 –
12.30pm on Zoom/YouTube
Cost £140 for 7 weeks or £20 a session
Contact Catherine directly for more details or
booking
email : catherinewallace2@icloud.com
Also, Catherine is running a Laura Knight Study
Day on Thursday 2nd September 2021 in Truro Library. Details are on her website.
It’s always interesting to keep an eye on the art market and see what is happening
to sales.
In a recent sale at Christies, The B.J. Eastwood Collection: Important Sporting and
Irish Pictures sold for record prices. Work by A.J.Munnings, for instance, exceeded
estimate prices quite considerably.
Sir Alfred James
Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S.
(1878-1959)
Norwich
Flower
Market
Price realised GBP 218,750
Estimate
GBP 50,000 – GBP 80,000
Closed 9
th July 2021
When the boats are away Walter Langley
1903
19
Sir Alfred James Munnings, P.R.A., R.W.S. (1878-1959)
The Vagabonds
Price realised GBP 1,942,500
Estimate
GBP 700,000 – GBP 1,000,000
Closed: 9 Jul 2021
And finally, some sad news.
Tribute to Stan Little
Stan has been a member of the DLKS and committee member since 2015.
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you Stan died at home on 30th April 2021
after several months of ill health.
20
Stan and I joined the DLKS committee at the same time in 2015 and worked together
on several projects – one was the society visit to the Royal West of England
Academy (which some of you may remember) to view the Artist Couples exhibition in
- Another was the Pimms in the Park event in 2017 (when it rained!)
Stan was a special person and had that rare quality of being interested in listening to
people rather than telling them what he knew. That is not to say Stan was retiring –
in fact, far from it.
Many of you will remember Stan at society meetings, mingling and chatting to members with great ease, and at the end of a talk, Stan was invariably first up with his hand to
ask a question. This is typical of Stan’s natural curiosity and interest in Art.
We shall remember his warm heart, friendship, artistic skills and intelligent conversation.
Stan Little, talented architect and lover of historical buildings, was great company
and he will be much missed.
Evie Knight May 2021
So here we are mid-summer, at last able to socialise, and we do hope you will be
able to join your friends in the society for meetings very soon.
Have a wonderful summer. Stay safe and well. See you at the AGM and talk on 21st
September at Colwall Village Hall.
Best wishes Evie Knight Chair DLKS