Jan Phethean is a Helston-based artist whose work draws on her career as an award winning architecural designer, and her passion for wildlife and landscape, in particular ancient field systems.
St Ives-based artist (originally an ornithologist) who took up wood-carving when Dutch elm disease destroyed the trees in his garden: 'The most important thing is to capture the life of a living creature in a piece of wood. Metal is a dead material and hasn't got the essence of the animal you're dealing with - wood expresses this best. If you are looking at something which is living and taken millions of years to evolve its form, it seems an effrontery to abstract from that and turn it into something else.'
Catherine Phillpotts was born at St Gluvias, Cornwall, daughter of Rev. William John Phillpotts, archdeacon of Cornwall, and his wife Louisa (nee Buller). Records indicate that the family were living at St Gluvias Vicarage in 1871, the year of Louisa's death.
From 1884 to 1918 she is recorded as a member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club, exhibiting watercolours.
After her father's death in Falmouth in 1888, Catherine moved to Bovey Tracey in Devon, where she was living in 1891 with two siblings. She died in Bedford in 1919, aged 72.
Avis Louisa Philp (nee Nickels) is listed in the 1891 Census as the 37 year old Artist/portrait painter wife of Richard Philp, born in Fowey and living at 14 Alverton Terrace, Penzance. They were married in the Kensington district of London in 1889.
Another (or the same?) Miss Avis Philp is listed in The Year's Art for some years (1894 ff) as living in London.
A correspondent in 2020 has advised us that he is in possession of a painting (oil on board) by Avis Philp dated 1890, which he believes came from a sale of Heligan House contents.
The daughter of Henry & Elizabeth Philp, born in Falmouth. She is recorded as living at Penwerris Row, Budock in 1841 with her widowed mother and three brothers.
Listed in the 1851 Census for Falmouth as a 19 year old unmarried Teacher Of Drawing, born in Falmouth and living at 14 Erisey Terrace with her mother, Elizabeth, and brother, Norman GARSTIN, an artist painter.
By 1861 she was still living with her mother and brother J G PHILP but at Harriet Place, Budock. She was at that time listed as an artist in watercolours. In 1871 she was still resident with her brother,but now also his family, and her mother at Woodlane Crescent, Falmouth. She is still listed as an artist in watercolour.
She does not appear to have exhibited and after 1871 there does not appear to be any further record of her, neither of marriage nor death.
A recent correspondent (2015) records a watercolour painting of the River Dolgelly by this artist, and the address on the back is 3 Woodlane Crescent, Falmouth with a price of £10.10s.
Possibly born in 1815 according to an entry in the Dissenting Deputies Register birth details at Dr Williams' Library, London. His parents were Henry and Elizabeth Philp of Falmouth where he lived throughout his life.
The first notice of this artist from Falmouth, is as winner of the First Prize in the 2nd Class of oil paintings at the RCPS Show in Falmouth during its first Annual Exhibition (1834), for Marine View from Pendennis.
At age 18, he placed second in the professional artists section with View of Falmouth. In 1835, he equalled the former success with another oil painting, View of St Michael's Mount (Bronze Medal). He became not only a notable prize winner, but later one of the main exhibition judges for the annual shows.
He was also known as a stationer, printer and publisher. In 1836 the Philp family moved to Bristol, then in 1846 to London, where James had nine works selected for the Royal Academy.
By the time of the 1841 census his father had died and he is listed as an artist living with his mother and siblings at Penwerris Row, Budock. By 1851 he is listed as an artist painter at 14 Erisey Terrace, Falmouth, along with his mother and sister, Mary, who is listed as a 19-year-old teacher of drawing. In 1861 he is recorded as still living with his mother and sister, but at Harriet Place, Budock.
He married Mary Jane Powell at Clifton in 1861, which was the year he made a tour of Wales. He was also in Wales in 1863. 1881 found him living at Woodlane Crescent, Falmouth with his wife, a son George, and also his mother-in-law and a niece. He became an Associate of NWS in 1856 and a full member in 1863, exhibiting a total of 347 works at Society exhibitions. Much of his work in watercolour depicts coastal scenes around Cornwall with shipping, fishing folk and the coastline.
Born in Falmouth, James Buckingham Philp was the son of James George PHILP. In 1846 the family were living in London, where young Philp trained as a lithographer. He was also a painter, architectural draughtsman and amateur actor and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1853. He lived there until 1865, when he suddenly disappeared, reportedly with a great sum of money he had stolen.
A great, great grandson writes:
'Last year (2011) the Water Society of Ireland published their history in a book called The Silent Companion. One of the founders of the Society was Henrietta Phipps of Oaklands Clonmel, the home of my Great Great Grandfather.
Her nephew Pownoll William Phipps apparently spent time in Truro 1853-1854 and took lessons from landscape and coastal painter James George PHILP RI who lived at Falmouth. It is thought he passed on what he learned to his Aunt. (I think he was training for the Priesthood and was studying under the guidance of the Bishop of Truro).'
Pownoll is also the author in 1877 of the Family Book of Prayers.
Whether or not he pursued his art studies or exhibited his work in any fashion (illustration, etc.) is not known. It may be unlikely, however, because he became the Vicar of Chalfont St Giles. In the 1890s he published for private circulation with the Bentley Brothers Publishers, a book of family history being the life of his father, Colonel Pownoll Phipps.
Bill Picard wanted to be a painter, but Bernard LEACH who was a great friend and influence, encouraged him to take up ceramics instead. He married Biddy Perry when her former marriage broke up, and thereby became stepfather to her three children, Jane (Nig), Peter PERRY and Greta PERRY. From the front room of their home in Mousehole, they set up a small craft shop, behind which they had their pottery, known thereafter as the Mousehole Pottery.
Bill also took up teaching pottery at the Penzance School of Art.
One of the 'Woodcutters' who came first to the Lamorna Valley, Biddy and her husband Bill PICARD were at the centre of the artistic circles of Mousehole and Newlyn for many years. In 1955 the couple established The Mousehole Pottery and Gift Shop, through which they sold their earthenware pots until 1961, after which time they let the shop to a number of other craft workers, for periods of time. In 1978, Biddy's daughter Greta re-started the pottery from a different location in Mousehole and ran it there for more than a decade.
Born in 1922 in Derbyshire, Biddy attended Chesterfield School of Art before training at the Slade. After a brief period teaching art in Bristol, she moved to Wales and then in 1974, to Cornwall. Both of her children, Peter PERRY and Greta PERRY, have been established artists in Cornwall and abroad since that time, and exhibit their work locally and abroad.
Biddy has been a longstanding member of the Newlyn Society of Artists, and taught painting and ceramics at Penzance School of Art. Now residing near Paul, west of Penzance, since the death of Bill, she continues to exhibit her exuberant and colourful paintings in small galleries and general exhibitions in the local area, and her paintings are highly sought-after in the auction houses. [Further detail: Tyler Gallery, Mousehole, website]
Nancy Pickard was born in Brazil but grew up in the Channel Islands. Her father, Bryan Pickard, is a watercolour artist. Nancy was a student at the Central School of Art in London and Caridd Art College, graduating in ceramics in 1986. In 2002 she moved to west Cornwall, settling in St Just. She produces mixed media paintings in an eccentric, naive style as well as enamelled silver jewellery, ceramic and mixed media sculptures. Subsequently she moved to Devon.
Pierre-Hunt was an original founding member of the Liskeard Art Club in 1944. Prior to the outbreak of World War II he had practised as an architect in Bloomsbury Square. He and his wife Edith Helen PARKIN, who also painted, spent a number of years in Polperro, participating in the exhibitions of the East Cornwall Society of Artists and the Plymouth Arts Club. The couple played an important role in Polperro society, with William being Chairman of the Parish Councill and a member of the Harbour Trustees for many years.
Diane Pierson was born in Essex. After studying fashion design and art history she taught painting and drawing to adults. Since moving to Fowey her painting has been inspired by the wonderful scenery of south east Cornwall. Diane has exhibited at Toe in the Water Gallery in Fowey.
Joan Pilbeam claims an eclectic background in art studies, mentioning Manchester, Khartoum, Hereford and Keele University. She married first in 1950 and spent eight exciting years in Africa including long treks in the Sudanese desert.
In 1975 she was enged in the antiques business in the UK and though exchanging that for the 'simple life' in Herefordshire, she was able to exhibit regularly, alongside bringing up three daughters. After her first husband's death there was a fallow period, and then remarriage in 1985 which brought about a rebirth of her painting. During that period she exhibited at Keele, Stafford, Stoke, Royal Birmingham Society of Artist, which brought her to Newlyn in 1996. She exhibited work at the Salthouse Gallery, Penwith Society of Artists (of which she was an Associate) in St Ives (1998).
The information above was taken from an exhibition poster issued by the Mariners Gallery, 25 May-6 June (no year listed). The companion exhibitors were Margaret CHINN, Marguerite JENKINS, Jo CROMBIE, Judith INMAN and Meg JENKINS.
Kim Pilgrim works from Krowji Studios, Redruth. In 2001 she obtained a BTEC Diploma in Art & Design from Colchester Institute. This was followed three years later by a BA (Hons) at Nottingham Trent University. She continued her studies at University College Falmouth with a BA in Contemporary Visual Arts in 2007. She has been awarded several residencies and has been involved in a wide range of community art projects throughout Cornwall. Since 2009 she has been a specialist gallery educator at Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden.
The artist was born in Leicester. He now has a gallery in Bude, Cornwall.
The ceramist worked at the Leach Pottery in 1936, and is said to be responsible for reintroducing hand-building to British studio pottery (along with Ruth DUCKWORTH, who is probably more famous because of a greater number of students and exhibitions).
Douglas Houzen Pinder painted in oils and more frequently in watercolour, favouring coastal views, moorland landscapes and desert scenes. According to most biographies he was born in Lincoln in 1886 but the GRO index and census returns clearly indicate that he was born in Derbyshire at Starkholmes and registered in the Bakewell RD towards the end of 1886. His father, a schoolmaster died in 1887, so by 1891 his mother had returned to Lambeth where she first had married, and became a school teacher. By 1901 the family had moved to Newquay where Douglas's mother is recorded as an infant mistress in a board school..
In the early 1900s, Douglas Pinder was articled to a local architect. The 1901 census describes him as an architect's apprentice but he then turned to painting full time and is described as an artist in 1911. In the meantime he had married Edith Jane Osborne from St Wenn in 1908.
Motivated by membership of the Plymouth Brethren, on 19 June 1916 Pinder appeared as a conscientious objector before the Newquay Military Service Tribunal. He was exempted from combatant service, entailing call-up to the Non-Combatant Corps. He served until July 1918, when with four others he was court-martialled for disobedience. It is presumed they were given an order contrary to conscience. On 26 July 1918 he was sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour, and sent to Wormwood Scrubs Prison. There he was interviewed by the Central Tribunal, who found him to be a genuine conscientious objector, and he was released from prison.
Later also he was sponsored to go to Egypt to paint a number of Desert Scenes from the station at Base Said. For about two years, Pinder lived at Horrabridge on Dartmoor, where he painted moorland scenes which he often signed 'Ben GRAHAM'. He also lived in Plymouth for some period. By 1930 he was back in Newquay, painting and selling art in his own gallery at 80, Fore Street.
He did not drive a car, but used a bicycle, heading off to many locations along the north Cornish coast, with a special carrier attached to the bike's crossbar for his painting equipment. He painted many watercolours and a far smaller number of oils, usually seascapes, which often included details that allowed the location to be clearly identified. He did not exhibit with art societies, preferring to handle his own work in Newquay. His early work is signed D H Pinder, while later works are signed DOUGLAS (H) PINDER in a printed script.
He died towards the end of 1949 at the age of 63, registered in the St Austell RD, some 6 to 9 months after his wife. A view of Polperro was exhibited posthumously in 1950 at the Plymouth Art Society Exhibition.
A correspondent has been in touch (2021) to tell us of a watercolour by Douglas Pinder entitled 'Arch Rock Perranporth' which he inherited from his grandparents, resident in Perranporth from the 1920s to the 1980s. The image includes the figure of a beachcomber who apparently was a well-known local character.
Neil was born in St Just in Penwith, and works from his studio on moorland near Penzance.
Quote from Neil Pinkett (2008) in his illustrated catalogue for the exhibition WATERFRONT at Beside the Wave Gallery, Falmouth: 'Working in Newlyn, you cannot help but be affected by the masculine, slightly dangerous feeling of a working port. This has influenced my work significantly, as I have become increasingly engaged in the working life of the people amongst whom I too live and work. My focus has been intensified by the prevailing sense of change in Cornwall's working ports, which may soon obliterate an entire way of life. This collection then reflects an urgent need to record working life as it is today, has been for centuries, and could soon be no more.'
PInkett has been a tutor at Newlyn School of Art since 2011.
Artist & Art Mistress of County Boy's School.
A Mousehole artist, her death was announced, aged 30, in the Cornishman in January 1942.
Although a resident of Newquay, he was exhibiting in St Ives in the late 1930s. An oil painting by this artist, Nanjizal Bay, is in the collection of the Royal Cornwall Museum.