Heather Sutcliffe met her future husband, Charles H THOMPSON, when they were both studying at the Herkomer School in Bushey. A portrait of her by Charles was shown at the RA in 1894.
A TB sufferer, he left for a sojourn in South Africa, where it was felt that the warmer climate might help his condition. Heather could not afford to go with him. Charles missed her so much that he decided to have the portrait of her shipped over. The ship sank and her cargo was lost, so Thompson was paid compensation - which was enough to pay for a ticket for Heather to join him. They were married in South Africa in 1896 and their only child, Lorenz Sutcliffe Thompson, was born there in 1898.
They moved to Cornwall in 1903, moving from Newlyn up into Oakhill Cottage, at the top of Lamorna, on the through road near Trewoofe. Both of them captured the beauty of the landscape in a series of canvases that are unexpectedly impressive.
In 1905 Thompson was appointed the first curator of the Watts Gallery at Compton, Guildford (created in memory of the famous Victorian artist George Frederic Watts). It was a prestigious post. Heather managed the pottery, which was very busy, while Charles oversaw the construction of the sculpture gallery and looked after the great Watts legacy. One aspect was a school and workshop for clay sculpture. Students for this were based at The Hostel at Compton. The Thompsons lived on site in the house, which is still used by the curator today. They remained there for a decade.
IN 1915 they moved back to the far west of Cornwall. They set up home at Chyvarrian, on the road beyond Lamorna, leading towards Lands End, above the beautiful Penberth Valley. She continued to paint under the name of Heather Thompson. She was noted for her miniatures and exhibited at NAG (1924). Heather suffered for many years from severe rheumatoid arthritis and died in 1936.
In later life Charles became a familiar figure, walking around the area in an distinctive old felt hat. He died in 1949 while staying at Worthing. His body was brought back for burial at Sennen.
Tony Sutcliffe moved to Carbis Bay in Cornwall in 2001. His non-figurative paintings express the 'enigmatic pagan landscape' of Penwith.
The wife of Lester SUTCLIFFE, Elizabeth was also the sister of the artist Edward TREVOR. Bednar comments: 'Although three sources state that Lester Sutcliffe was living in Newlyn in 1887, I could find no evidence of a visit to Newlyn by Elizabeth Trevor. They married in 1891, in Wales.' It is nonetheless clear that her brother Edward had been to Newlyn earlier (unless this was another artist of the same name.)
A letter written by Stanhope FORBES and postmarked 20th October 1887 noted 'We were all of us round at Sutcliffe's last night.' Also, Iris Green notes that the couple lived for a brief period after their marriage in a cottage called 'The Bridge' in the centre of Newlyn village.
In June 1942 he arrived in West Penwith, sketching miners and underground workings of Geevor for the War Artists Advisory Committee. Between then and December, he regularly divided his time between Cornwall and his home in Trottiscliffe, Kent.
Born on 26 April, 1855, in Oldham, Greater Manchester (GRO), he studied in Antwerp and afterwards in Brittany (1882) where he met Stanhope FORBES.
He is listed in the 1891 Census as a Newlyn resident at Trewarveneth Farm, though family information states that he came to Newlyn first in 1883 (while retaining an exhibiting address in Southport, Lancashire). Wood notes him as 'A minor member of the Newlyn School'.
He remained in Newlyn until 1900 when he moved to Porlock, Somerset (exhibiting address given to the RA), to join his friend, the artist, Fred HALL. He never married, and his death is recorded by the family as being in Williton, Somerset, near Porlock. He died on 11 April, 1924, age 67, GRO. His work was included in both the Painting in Newlyn 1880-1930 Travelling Exhibition (1985) and the Cornwall County Council centenary exhibition, A Century of Art in Cornwall 1889-1989 for which there are catalogues in the WCAA.
[Photo likeness in Hardie 2009, p41]
Author of books on Nicholas Poussin and Maurice Maeterlinck (friend of her husband, Alfred Sutro, the playwright). Her 'Pastels of France' were exhibited in January 1927 at the Leicester Galleries.
Erica Suttill studied at Hornsey School of Art during the 1940s and became an art teacher and portrait painter. After extensive travels during which time she painted portraits on commission, she settled in Cornwall in 1968, where she spent the next three years, continuing to paint and draw.
Born at Panteg, Monmouthshire, and studied at Cheltenham and under Stanhope FORBES in Newlyn. She listed addresses at Bristol and West Malvern latterly.
Swan was born in Glasgow, joining the merchant navy at 17, and afterwards the Royal Navy. For a period he became a fisherman, then a mate on a commercial sailing barge. Recovering from a long illness, he took up painting and studied at schools of art at Glasgow and Arbroath.
By 1949 Donald had moved to Cornwall, where he studied pottery with Bernard LEACH and Michael LEACH, before setting up his own pottery at Castle-an-Dynas with his Cornish wife, Elizabeth. Many of his portraits feature his wife. During his sojourn in Cornwall he also assisted at the Newlyn Art Gallery, volunteering to help curate exhibitions, and he also took students of his own (one of whom was David DYER).
In 1972, he returned to Scotland, where he continued to paint portraits but also developed his maritime painting, becoming known for his historical clipper ships (incl 'Cutty Sark' which hangs on that ship) and other forms of shipping and naval pieces.
Back in Cornwall by 2001, Martin Val Baker welcomed a large solo show of the paintings of Donald Swan at the Rainyday Gallery on Market Jew Street, Penzance in February and March of 2002.
A portrait by this artist, of the co-curator of NAG in the 1950s, the poet Wallace Nichols, is part of the Permanent Collection of NAG. His painting John in his Red Raincoat (1965) is at PENLEE HOUSE MUSEUM & ART GALLERY PENZANCE.
Born in Maidstone, Kent, twin sisters Janet and Patsy SWANBOROUGH fell in love with the natural beauty, bright colours and tranquillity of the Isles of Scilly. Both professional artists, they moved to St Mary's in 1978 where they now have their own studio, where visitors are welcome. They are best known for their 'birds eye' paintings and large murals painted together. Their series of 'cats-in-windows' designs form the basis of the Hockin & Roberts 'Rosehill Collection'. They have the distinction of being the only living twins to have exhibited at the Royal Academy in the same year.
Born in Maidstone, Kent, twin sisters Patsy and Janet SWANBOROUGH fell in love with the natural beauty, bright colours and tranquillity of the Isles of Scilly. Both professional artists, they moved to St Mary's in 1978 where they now have their own studio, where visitors are welcome. They are best known for their 'birds eye' paintings and large murals painted together. Their series of 'cats-in-windows' designs form the basis of the Hockin & Roberts 'Rosehill Collection'. They have the distinction of being the only living twins to have exhibited at the Royal Academy in the same year.
Peter Swanson was born in Dartford, Kent, and moved to St Ives in 1974, when he helped his family to move their pottery to the nearby Penbeagle estate. His work has been exhibited widely in Cornwall and beyond.
Launceston-based Jill Swarbrick-Banks was born in London and grew up in Oxshott, Surrey. In 1992 she obtained a BA in Fine Art Painting from the Kunst Academie 'Minerva' in the Netherlands. This was followed by an MA from the University of Aberystwyth in 2019. The scope of her art practice includes portraiture and the creation of lyrical abstracted landscapes.
In 2012 she was Artist in Residence at Coventry Cathedral, where she was commissioned to record the celebrations during the year of the 50th anniversary consecration of the new cathedral.
Her work has been exhibited at the Galerie Pictura in Groningen, Netherlands, and more recently in Clare Hall, Cambridge University.
In 2023 she exhibited at the Charles Causley Festival in Launceston.
Sold an etching of St Ives church at NAG in October, and two etchings in December 1913. Swatkins' etching of Polperro shows the fish scales by the 'Three Pilchards Inn'. He is listed as a Birmingham artist, primarily exhibiting there, on 14 occasions between 1888 and 1923.
Bridgit Sweeney's work explores natural surfaces and their relationship to rural habitats.
John Sweeney was born in Tangier, Morocco, and relocated to the UK with his family in 1965. He completed a foundation course at Walsall Art College, subsequently studying painting and drawing at Epsom School of Art and Design (1979-1982) under Peter Peterson.
From the late 1970s onwards, Sweeney's work has been successfully shown at the New English Art Club, The Royal Society of British Artists, and the Royal Academy summer exhibitions. He has also exhibited with the Birmingham Society of Artists and held solo shows with the Neville Galleries in Canterbury.
He is a former member of the East Croydon Art Society, and Reigate Society of Artists, and is currently a member of the East Kent Society of Artists. He is also a member of a St Ives/Cornwall-based group, 'the figurative and representational artist group'.
Since 2017 he has been exhibiting with STISA, and was elected to membership in 2020, when he moved permanently to Cornwall. His work has sold not only in the UK, but also in the USA and Hong Kong.
Painter of street scenes, moors, sea pieces and illustrator who studied at Exeter School of Art under John SHAPLAND. Moved to Dundee, Scotland after active service in WW1, and was employed as a commercial illustrator for James Valentine and Sons.
Rob Swinburne was born in Hertfordshire, and grew up in Pensilva, east Cornwall. In his early 20s he started experimenting with biro art. This led to the introduction of colour into his work, which developed into painting.
Reviewed as 'a West Country artist, exhibiting pictures in London,' by the local newspaper, there is no special evidence for such a geographical attribution.
In 1923, the artist Frank Swinstead, brother of Alfred H and George H SWINSTEAD, was indeed exhibiting paintings entitled A Devonshire Stream and Lelant Towans. He had studied at North London School of Art, RCA and Julians Academy in Paris, before becoming an Art Master (1882-91), and later Principal (1891-1927) at his father's school (Hornsey School of Art), taking over from his father's death to head up not only Hornsey, but also Walthamstow School of Art and Willesden Polytechnic School of Art, simultaneously for some years. He exhibited very widely and frequently, and was said by Christopher Wood to have been born and lived in London.
Mentioned in Whybrow's 1883-1900 list of artists in and around St Ives. He was the brother of Frank Hillyard SWINSTEAD, and one of the three artist sons of Charles SWINSTEAD. He studied (1881) at the RA schools and his sending in address for his active exhibition career was London. From 1906 until his death, he exhibited Polperro scenes with some regularity.
Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Sykes was the son of a fireplace manufacturer. Initially he was drafted to design the ornate designs so popular in Victorian England. He studied at Sheffield School of Art, and was able to set up his own studio successfully as well as take students, both individually and in classes to supplement his income from selling his paintings. He was admitted to the Sheffield Society of Art, and in 1899 he married Sadia Elizabeth Ward.
He met Laura KNIGHT and Harold KNIGHT when they were living in Staithes prior to their move to Cornwall. With the help of a wealthy patron (who held out a guaranteed market for his work and sponsorship to travel), he moved as the Knights did to visit the Newlyn painters in 1914, and remained for the rest of his life. According to Dorey, the friend who helped him find his permanent home in Newlyn, after staying in lodgings on Paul Hill for some months, was sculptor Frank DOBSON. Other firm friends were Harold HARVEY, S J Lamorna BIRCH and Stanhope FORBES, Ernest PROCTER as well as Alfred MUNNINGS.
Unfortunately his benefactor died, and from then on the livelihood for this excellent watercolourist (never quite as popular as oil in terms of sales) became precarious. He and Sadia managed somehow though with much difficulty, and brought up a son, Melville (also a skilful painter who died young) and two daughters, Effie and Dorcie. Forbes was always encouraging to him and recommended his work to exhibitions wherever possible. Once again his reputation grew, though bringing in only a modest income.
His daughter, Dorcie SYKES, also became a well known painter in watercolour, and was to stay in the family home for the remainder of her life, despite exhibiting her paintings and prints all over the world.. He sold a painting Rhododendrons at NAG just before the Gallery discontinued the mounting of separate exhibitions for the duration of WWI. (A collection of pictures continued to be hung, and replaced as they were sold, by the artists living locally.) He exhibited at NAG in 1937, and his watercolour A River Crossing was illustrated in colour in the W H Lane Auction catalogue (March sale) 2003.
He died following a series of three strokes, on 28 October 1941, with Sadia surviving him by 20 years (d 1961). The family are now buried together in Paul Churchyard.
Laurent Sykes is a Belgian-born sculptor and mixed media artist working in St Ives. His work explores life, death and mysticism, and delves into both the ancient and natural world. He is a member of STISA.
Son of artist John Gutteridge SYKES and brother of Dorcie SYKES.
Exhibited at NAG in the Summer Exhibition of 1926. This artist could be J G SYKES. Newspaper misprints are common.
NAG exhibitor. One of her paintings, Ducks in Sunshine, is part of the NAG Permanent Collection.