Sheila Fell
Sheila Fell , Cumberland, in 1931. Although she lived in London for the greater part of her life, she devoted her career to painting the Cumberland landscape.
Biography
Early life
Sheila Fell was born into a poor household at Aspatria in 1931, the only child of John (Jack) and Anne Fell. Her father was a coalminer who worked at the Brayton Domain Colliery about a mile and a half from Aspatria. Her mother was a
Education
After her early education at Richmond Hill School, Aspatria, Fell gained a scholarship allowing her to attend
Career
In 1955 at the age of 24, Fell held her first exhibition, becoming the youngest ever artist to exhibit at the
That first exhibition in London sold out and brought Fell to the attention of artist L. S. Lowry, who bought two paintings and a drawing, creating a friendship that would last for many years.[citation needed] Lowry gave Fell all the help he could; he advised and encouraged her, and gave financial support by buying around twenty of her paintings and giving her a weekly allowance of £3 and would often visit her when she returned home to Aspatria for her regular holidays. They would go out to the countryside to paint. Lowry got on well with her parents and always called her "Miss Fell", until shortly before his death.
Although never married, Fell had a daughter Anna in 1958, by the Greek sculptor
Style and influences
Fell used powerful, melancholy oils of living landscape, presided over by huge brooding mountains and dark looming clouds. Colour was always less important than tone, she painted the hills and the seas of the area she loved so well, she painted the earth and those who worked it, depicting rich brown soils, piles of potatoes, small groups of driven cattle, indistinguishable farm buildings and terraced houses running along the streets of Aspatria.
Death
In December 1979,
Awards
Fell's first major award came in October 1957 after she entered a painting in the
Exhibitions
- 1955 Beaux Arts Gallery
- 1958 Beaux Arts Gallery
- 1960 Beaux Arts Gallery
- 1961 The Derwent Centre, Cockermouth
- 1962 Middlesbrough Art Gallery
- 1962 Beaux Arts Gallery
- 1964 Maryport Education Settlement, Cumberland
- 1964 Beaux Arts Gallery
- 1965 Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
- 1965 Queen Square Gallery, Leeds
- 1967 Stone Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
- 1969 Stone Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
- 1969 Also exhibited in Arts Council and Contemporary Arts Society touring exhibition
- 1979 New Grafton Gallery, London
- 1981 Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
- 1981 Salford Art Gallery
- 2006 Castlegate Gallery, Cockermouth
- 2011 Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
- 2014 Castlegate House Gallery, Cockermouth
- 2021 Castlegate House Gallery, Cockermouth
Official purchases and public collections
- Tate Gallery, London (three paintings)
- Contemporary Art Society, London
- Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
- Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport
- Carlisle Art Gallery
- Sunderland Art Gallery
- Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal
- Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Swindon Art Gallery
- Huddersfield Art Gallery
Notable paintings
- 1955 Aspatria wedding
- 1955 Miners
- 1958 Farm Land at Aspatria
- 1958 Portrait of Anna Fell
- 1959 Cumbrian village under snow
- 1961 Snowscape IV Tate Gallery collection
- 1964 Men working in a cornfield
- 1965 Maryport Tate Gallery Collection
- 1965 Skiddaw summer
- 1967 Haystacks in a field Tate Gallery collection
- 1970 Houses in winter
- 1979 Potato pick-ing-clouds
- 1979 Christmas
References
- ^ a b "Sheila Fell R.A." Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ The Times. 6 December 1979.
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(help)[full citation needed] - ^ ISBN 978-0-415-50848-3. Chapter IV: "Sheila Fell", p. 57-72.
- ^ West Cumberland Times 6 August 1955[full citation needed]
- ^ West Cumberland Times 3 December 1955[full citation needed]
- ^ "Takis obituary". the Guardian. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Cumbrian Life February/March 1991, page 62[full citation needed]
- ^ Sunday Times 16 December 1979[full citation needed]
- ^ Roger Lytollis (26 November 2010). "New book reveals Cumbrian Painter Sheila Fell was loved by all". The Cumberland News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012.
- ^ West Cumberland Times 19 October 1957[full citation needed]
- ^ West Cumberland Times 26 March 1960[full citation needed]
Further reading
MacDougall, Sarah, (2014), Refiguring the 50s : Joan Eardley, Sheila Fell, Eva Frankfurther, Josef Herman, L S Lowry, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
External links
- 48 artworks by or after Sheila Fell at the Art UK site