We are delighted to present this Special Collection for your viewing.

Background:

Thea was evacuated to Exmoor during WW2, and lived a free range existence for the duration of the war. Roaming the countryside with other children, drawing and painting directly from Nature, not only honed her artistic skills but led to the realisation at a very young age that she wanted to be an Artist. Aged 16 and already a highly proficient draughtswoman she was able to attend Goldsmiths College 2 years early, graduating at 20. The training there was very academic focusing on Life Drawing, the discipline of drawing that was to become the foundation of her work.​

Joining her new husband in Northern Nigeria, West Africa, she set about recording life in the bustling markets and villages. This was inspiring and fascinating subject matter which also translated into illustrating publishing projects. Returning to England after 5 years, Thea continued to work around a growing family, using every day domestic subject matter - children, gardens, and still lives influenced by French Impressionists Bonnard, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Matisse.

A chance meeting with the landscape painter Anthony Rossiter led to Thea developing a close friendship with both Anthony and his UWE Bristol Fine Art teaching colleagues, Robert Hurdle and David Ferguson. They offered her a combination of artistic mentorship and companionship to help advance her practice, which lasted for several decades.

​Later in her career Thea used her travels to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, as well as closer to home in Scotland and Cornwall, to develop her love of landscape, often working “en plein air” which gave her work an exciting immediacy.

​Thea mostly works in oils, in a strong, distinct figurative style which has changed little. Her painting features warm, rich, colours in simple, bold compositions. They communicate a timeless, meditative mood be it a still life, a landscape or a portrait. Her home environment, the gardens her husband lovingly created, and the Somerset landscape are all documented through the changing seasons.Now at 90 years old, failing eyesight has limited the scope and scale of her work, however she still loves to draw for pleasure.