Mavis Freer
Mavis Freer (1927–2016) was a British painter, recognised as part of a generation of female artists active in the mid-20th century.[1][2]
Early Life
Mavis Jean Freer was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, in 1927. Aged sixteen, Freer attended Chesterfield School of Art, where she learnt life-drawing and perspective.[3] At the age of twenty, she moved to London to continue her studies in art. She studied under Leonard Appellbee, Bernard Hailstone and Carel Weight at Goldsmiths College of Art when Clive Gardiner was principal.[3] There she met her husband, fellow artist Christopher Row (1922-2006), and friends Jean Cooke, Margaret and Derek Cooper.[3] Freer married Christopher in 1946, and together they moved to New Cross, Lewisham to start a family, before later settling down in Orpington, Kent.
Freer's early artistic influences included the work of Emil Nolde and Edvard Munch, inspiring her exploration of colour as a means of emotional expression.
Her daughter, sculptor, Ann Catherine Row (b. 1962) [4] is married to artist, Tim Nicholson (b. 1938) [5], son of painter and textile artist, E.Q Nicholson and architect, Christopher Nicholson.[3]
Career
Freer was among the mid-20th-century women artists whose work was shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London.[6]
She was known for her expressive style and vibrant colours, particularly in oil and watercolour. Freer exhibited in London and across the South-West of England throughout most of her career.[3] Her work often explored the interplay between urban living, nature and daily life in London as well as the rural surroundings of Cranborne Chase and the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, where she lived for the remainder of her life.[3][7]
Freer was part of an artistic circle that included Kitty West and other female painters from across the Chase, contributing to the artistic community and output of Cranborne Chase.[3][7]
References
- ↑ Spalding, Frances (1991). 20th century painters and sculptors. Dictionary of British art (Repr ed.). Woodbridge: Antique Collectors Club. ISBN 978-1-85149-106-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Buckman, David (2006). Artists in Britain since 1945. Bristol: Art dictionaries. ISBN 978-0-9532609-5-9. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Light, Vivienne Mary (2011). Circles and Tangents: Art in the Shadow of Cranborne Chase. Canterton Books. pp. 195–204. ISBN 978-0955226632. Search this book on
- ↑ "Ann Catherine Row | 3 Artworks at Auction | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
- ↑ "Tim Nicholson". Sladers Yard. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
- ↑ "1954 John Minton's Quietly Queer Portraiture". chronicle250.com. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "In the shadow of the Chase | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine". Retrieved 2025-03-11.
This article "Mavis Freer" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Mavis Freer. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
