Hilda Margery Clarke
Encyclopedia
Hilda Margery Clarke is an English
painter and art gallery curator who was a friend and student of L. S. Lowry
.
Born in Manchester
as the younger daughter of Frank Thompson, she met Lowry when she was aged 14. Her maternal grandfather, architect Arthur Mattinson, had encouraged her interest in art
, which was further developed by lessons from Lowry, with whom she remained friends until his death. She had further private lessons in painting when she was posted to Hamburg
for her National Service
with the Royal Air Force
.
After her marriage to Geoffrey Clarke in 1954 she moved to his home town of Southampton
where she studied at Southampton College of Art. In 1975 she studied printing at the Ruskin School in Oxford
.
Her paintings have been exhibited at Tibb Lane, Manchester
; Trends, London
; Wessex, Winchester
; Hiscock Gallery, Southsea
; and John Martin, London. She has had one man shows at Hamwic, Southampton
; Westgate, Winchester, and Southampton University. A retrospective of her work was planned for Southampton City Art Gallery
in June 2006. She has been artist-in-residence in Ramsgate
. She signs her work "H. M. Clarke".
In 1979 she founded the First Gallery with her husband in Southampton. Her work is represented in many private and public collections.
Angus Neill, Director of Felder Old Master & Modern Paintings and avid collector of Clarke's work, considers her "the finest British intuitive painter alive".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter and art gallery curator who was a friend and student of L. S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
.
Born in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
as the younger daughter of Frank Thompson, she met Lowry when she was aged 14. Her maternal grandfather, architect Arthur Mattinson, had encouraged her interest in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, which was further developed by lessons from Lowry, with whom she remained friends until his death. She had further private lessons in painting when she was posted to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
for her National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
After her marriage to Geoffrey Clarke in 1954 she moved to his home town of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
where she studied at Southampton College of Art. In 1975 she studied printing at the Ruskin School in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Her paintings have been exhibited at Tibb Lane, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
; Trends, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; Wessex, Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
; Hiscock Gallery, Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
; and John Martin, London. She has had one man shows at Hamwic, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
; Westgate, Winchester, and Southampton University. A retrospective of her work was planned for Southampton City Art Gallery
Southampton City Art Gallery
The Southampton City Art Gallery is an art gallery in Southampton, southern England. It is located in the Civic Centre on Commercial Road.The gallery's art collection covers six centuries of European art history, with over 3,500 works. It is housed in an example of 1930s municipal architecture...
in June 2006. She has been artist-in-residence in Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
. She signs her work "H. M. Clarke".
In 1979 she founded the First Gallery with her husband in Southampton. Her work is represented in many private and public collections.
Angus Neill, Director of Felder Old Master & Modern Paintings and avid collector of Clarke's work, considers her "the finest British intuitive painter alive".
Works
- Hilda Margery Clarke, Lowry Himself, (Southampton: The First Gallery, 1992). ISBN 0-9512947-0-9.