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Eric FINLAY
Worked in Porthleven during the period of the Summer Painting School administered by Michael CANNEY, and the Porthleven Group's exhibition at the Porthleven Gallery, an old china-clay warehouse on the quayside (c1965-6).
Michael FINN
One of the final gestures that the ever-generous Michael Finn made was to present to the then nascent West Cornwall Art Archive (when it was housed in the back-garden library of the Hypatia Trust at Newmill, Penzance) was to ensure that we had a copy of his exhibition programmes and publications. And when he died, through the good offices of Elizabeth KNOWLES who had worked closely with him in later years, he also presented his entire book collection to the project, one of our valued legacies.
Finn had served as Principal of two British art schools in his distinguished career, the first being Falmouth School of Art, and then the Bath School of Art at Corsham. Michael and his wife Cely moved to St Just in Penwith soon after retirement from the latter and took up his mixed media constructions and paintings full-time thereafter. John Halkes in his 1994 article in the Church Times, reveals that he began to make sculptures when his son Richard asked him to make a crucifix for his room, after which a series of sculptures based on the form followed, some of which were part copper and cast in bronze, also mixed with pieces of rough-hewn wood.
Michael was a life-long Roman Catholic and a devoted family man. He and Cely had three children, two daughters and one son, the latter becoming a priest. The family asked the Rev John HALKES, a former and highly-regarded Director of the Newlyn Orion Art Gallery, to take over and dispose of his remaining art works. These were exhibited in a major and well attended exhibition at the Lemon Street Gallery, Truro, in January 2010.
W G FIRTH
An oil painting, St Ives Harbour (1987) by this artist, is part of the Royal Cornwall Hospital collection.
FISH
See Anne SEFTON
Bill FISHER
The artist studied at Camberwell, London and is now based in Mousehole, Cornwall.
He works mainly in terracotta to make detailed, one-off pieces rich in texture and pattern: 'The technique I developed of recessed forms is more a play of shadows rather than the movement of light around the surface. The way I work has to do with the peculiarity of my perspective. Whatever a person does must show something of themselves. There is a world environment which fashions your ideas, concepts and attitudes. Most of my thinking comes out of the diversity of all that art is, and drawn from the enormous resources of the world.'
Norah FISHER
In 1931 she exhibited with STISA and was noticed in reviews with praise. Tovey records that further exhibition work with STISA did not take up again until the 1950s.
Rowland FISHER
Fisher was born in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. He was a founder member of the Society of Marine Artists in 1939, exhibiting with them until his death. However he also worked frequently in Cornwall, and was a sometime member of STISA.
Clifford FISHWICK
Fishwick was born near Accrington, Lancashire. He attended Liverpool School of Art for two years before entering the Naval service in 1942. After WWII he returned to complete his studies and acquire a teacher's diploma (1947). Though his teaching career was ever present, and he became principal of the Exeter College of Art in 1958, retiring in 1984, he always kept up an active painting and exhibition schedule. Particular friends in Cornwall were Michael CANNEY and his wife Madeleine, Jack PENDER, Paul FEILER and Alexander MACKENZIE.
From 1952 to 1983 he and his wife, Patricia FISHWICK, also an artist and a teacher of history of art, were members of the NSA. Clifford also exhibited with the Penwith Society in the 1950s and 60s. In the arts review cutting referenced in Hardie (1995, p114) foremost artists are mentioned as Patrick HERON, Paul FEILER, Peter LANYON, John TUNNARD, Dod PROCTER, Alethea GARSTIN, John WELLS, Bernard LEACH and Clifford Fishwick as all being well-represented, 'together with many youthful painters of promise working in the area.'
The artist-couple lived in Topsham, Devon, nr Exeter, where they both taught.
Patricia FISHWICK
Patricia was born in Liverpool, and she studied there at the College of Art before attending the Exeter College of Art (1949-52) where she met her future husband, Clifford FISHWICK who was her teacher. Her own teaching subject was in the history of art at Exeter College from 1972-84.
Though the couple did not ever live in Cornwall, they were both members of the NSA (1952-83), and sent in work to the NAG shows regularly. Their home was in Topsham, Devon.
