FAIRY ARTISTS ~ Thomas Bromley Blacklock

 "Red Riding Hood" 1899, by Thomas Bromley Blacklock (1863-1903).
Oil on canvas, 66 x 91.5cm. London Art Market, Sotheby's, 26th August 1997, Lot 1445

 

Although we are continuously drawn towards the familar and much loved images and artists we know, we also like to pay tribute to lesser known talents from the past - and the present. No matter how old we are it remains a great delight to discover something new which becomes a treasured favourite. No one has said it better than John Keats, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

Today the internet and the plethora of magazines make thousands of images available to us without having to go to a gallery or a library. We are able to enjoy so much more, but often the paintings are posted or printed without the artist's name or story attached. When we use images we always try (sometimes in vain) to find out who created them and add a link to further information. 

We have a few images saved which have charmed and beguiled us, and never cease the search for their story. The name of Thomas Bromley Blacklock was unknown to us until recently when we were researching some of these images and found them on A Polar Bear's Tale enchanting and informative journal.    Here   We owe her a great debt for two reasons, the beauty which she shares with her readers, and the archive of information she has accumulated on art and artists. Without her we would never have known who painted these images of The Fairies Wood, or The Snow Queen and been able to then identify Little Red Riding Hood as being by the same artist.

The story of Thomas Bromley Blacklock ends tragically, but his spirit must have burned brightly to have been able to paint so vibrantly.

Thomas Bromley Blacklock

Thomas Bromley Blacklock was born in 1863 in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, and tragically died in 1903 at the young age of 40 when this handsome and extremely gifted man drowned himself in The Clyde.

The son of the English teacher at Kirkcudbright Academy, Thomas was trained in painting in Edinburgh, working mainly in pen and ink and later in oils in East Lothian before returning to Kirkcudbright. He was inspired by the local landscapes which feature in much of his work and he captures their haunting beauty perfectly.  At some point he began to include children and fairies in the scenes and some of his later works allude to Galloway folklore. This does not detract from the landscapes but only adds to the enchanting quality. It is easy to imagine that he felt happy in such places and was cheered by the presence of the children and fairies while working alone in solitude. 

His last residence was at Church Place, Kirkcudbright which became well known as something of an artist's community with William Stewart MacGeorge and  E A Hornel also working there.

There is little recorded about Thomas and we know almost nothing of what torment drove him to end his life when he was at the height of his artistic development. Apparently he suffered a severe spinal ailment which is believed to have made his life intolerable. He lies buried in Kirkcudbright Cemetery.

His work was exhibited Royal Academy; Royal Scottish Academy; Aberdeen Artists' Society; Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts; Liverpool.

"In the Fairies Wood", 1903. Oil on canvas, 60 x 72.5cm. London, Sotheby's. Lot 856, 8/83

Probably the picture shown as 'Fisher Girls' at the RSA, 1903, and RGI 1904.
sold at Bonhams Edinburgh 'Scottish Sale' in 2009 for $75,471

Bo Peep

A delightful little oil very much in the style of Hornel and full of dappled light and shade.
A real collector's piece for anyone enthusiastic about Scottish paintings. Acquired from an estate in the United States and sold by James Alder Fine Art.

On the BBC website you can see a slideshow of 17 works by Thomas. Do have a look, they are stunning. His remarkable spirit lives on in his paintings.

Thomas Bromlety Blacklock on the BBC website


Thank you to James Alder Fine Art for some of the information used in this post.

James Alder Fine Art

FAIRY ARTISTS ~ Jessie M King

I'm revisting the art of Scottish illustrator Jessie M. King (March 20, 1875 – August 3, 1949).

At the time of The Great War, or just before, many artists created works of poignant sweetness and although they are beautiful there is something heartbreaking about them too. As if within that sweetness lay the last shreds of Hope.

These artists were keenly aware of nature and interested in the conservation of buildings, places and art.  Through time we learn, forget and relearn their lessons.

In this troubled time of ours, with financial problems faced by many and war around the globe interest has rekindled in these artists with their simple, childlike message of joy and comfort in daily life.

Jessie's art is similar to another favourite of mine, Annie French, in it's lightness of hand and semblance to Gustav Klimt with the build up of colour and texture like tiny jewels scattered on the page.

From the Christmas Supplement of The Studio.

Many of Jessie's paintings are done in such pale shades and so light a hand that they seem translucent. An ethereal light illuminates all of her work.

Time has faded some of her creations though so it is hard to tell whether she meant to create in such pastel shades.

The Lambs

My favourite painting of hers is this one. She used slightly brighter colours here and captures all the joy of summer pleasures.  The Jessie M King blog says this about it: "This work was done for John Drinkwater's poem 'Holiness' using pen, ink, and color wash on paper."

If all the cats were painted gay - 1930

Pictures 2 and 3 are from the Jessie M King blog which is a wonderful tribute to her and a great resource of information. Have a read:

Jessie M King

This is an entry for her at Junker's Rare Books, written in 2003. They have some of her work for sale, it is well beyond the means of a mere working lady such as I, but it's price reflects it's rarity and beauty.

"Jessie Marion King was the fourth daughter born to a cleric’s family in a Glasgow suburb. Against the wishes of her parents, she enrolled in the Glasgow school of Art at the age of 17 where she was taught with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and heavily influenced by Art Nouveau and the developing ‘Glasgow Style’.  Illustrating over 100 books she has been described as the ‘most important Scottish illustrator of the Twentieth Century’ (Colin White).

The design for L’Evangile de L’enfance (1894) was one of the pieces that brought King into the public eye. Displayed at the 1902 Turin Exhibition, this binding won King the gold medal for book design.

King went on to design a beautiful vellucent binding for The Story of Rosalynde in 1902 for Cedric Chivers. The book is bound in full vellum with intricate designs to both covers and spine in ink and water-colour. The main image depicts two graceful knights in armour kneeling at the foot of an immense rose tree. The binding is heightened by gilt lines and an inverted Mother of Pearl heart shaped inlay. Completed in the period when Jessie was both student and teacher at the Glasgow School of Art this work is typical of the high quality detailed designs she produced in the early 1900’s.

During this time Jessie also produced numerous intricate line drawings displaying an impressive capturing of shadows and fine detail. Dwellings of An Old World Town (1909), comprising of drawings of Culcross and Fifeshire, is typical of the style of books she had published at this time.
As her work developed, King began to use a gentler style. An example of this can be seen in The Studio (1913) which contains King’s popular Christmas Supplement Seven Happy Days. The colours used for this are lovely pastel shades all highlighted with glints of silver or gold. The book also contains eight line drawings with the same very delicate beauty.

At the start of World War 1, after spending seven years living in Paris, King and her husband, EA Taylor, decided to move back to Scotland. They settled in Kirkudbright where many of her famous drawings are set. Having illustrated books on Glasgow and Edinburgh, King now began work on Kircudbright A Royal Burgh (1934). With pictorial Japon wrappers, the book contains 18 black and white detailed line drawings and illustrates the beauty of the town. King writes in her foreword:

‘Perhaps it is only the hand of the artist that can save for the future the beauty in danger of being demolished and it lies with the fraternity to see that the romance of this old world town set in her historic stones does not become entirely a thing of the past.’

As King’s popularity grew after World War 1, she ceased producing gossamer drawings and began work with new materials such as batik, pottery and jewellery. In her book How Cinderella was Able to go the Ball, Cinderella is forced to make her own batik gown. The process of how this was executed is illustrated beautifully in vibrant colours throughout. "

Junkers Books

Jessie not only illustrated books but turned her hand to murals, she designed ceramics, fabric, textiles, jewelry and greeting cards.

A necklace made by her, from the in depth book abut her, The Enchanted World of Jessie M King by Colin White.

Very occasionally one of her pieces comes up for auction on ebay. This little bowl is typical, simple yet joyful.  Hand decorated inside and out, it has her signature and her symbols of a rabbit and a gate.

This piece is unusual, I've never seen one, it is a honeycomb jar.

"Description:

This is a typical painted ceramic by Jessie M King. She developed this line of painted pottery from 1920, and it was one of her main sources of income. She purchased the ceramics in 'biscuit' state then painted on her designs and sent the ware back to the ceramic manufacturer for glazing.

Floral painted ceramic box with a seperate lid having the form of a bee as its handle. The box has the verses 'Kissing is out of Fashion / When the Whin is out of Blossom', around the top of the four sides of the box. The work has her marks on the base - a rabbit, a green gate and the initials 'JMK'.

Place of Production:

Kirkcudbright

Materials/Media:

ceramic

Dimensions:

width 140mm, height 140mm, depth 140mm"

 

Source:

The Stewartry Museum