MARY FEDDEN, R.A. (BRITISH, 1915-2012)

MARY FEDDEN, R.A. (BRITISH, 1915-2012)
Still life with volcano
signed and dated 'Fedden '08' (lower left)
oil on canvas
50 x 60 cm. (19 7/8 x 23 5/8 in.)

Provenance
With The Gooday Gallery/Kaye Michie Fine Art, London, 2016, where purchased by the present owner

"Each of my paintings is a mixture of things that I’m looking at, and my thoughts and imagination." – Mary Fedden, 2008

Mary Fedden was a celebrated Modern British painter, printmaker, and illustrator known for her bold use of colour and whimsical compositions. Born in Bristol to a family of surgeons, she harbored a passion for painting from an early age. At sixteen, she left Badminton School to study at the Slade School of Art in London, where she trained under the designer Vladimir Polunin, who had worked with the Ballets Russes. After graduating, she briefly worked on set designs for Sadler’s Wells Theatre before returning to Bristol, where she painted portraits and taught art.

Fedden's collection of works spans a range of themes she explored throughout her extensive artistic career. This is evident in pieces such as the artwork depicting the anecdote of "Christopher’s Ghost," a personal story, as well as in her 2008 still life painting that portrays an exotic volcanic landscape.

Themes within Fedden’s artwork evolved and changed throughout her life. In her early work, Fedden mainly painted still life pieces, where she incorporated objects, flowers, fruit and vessels. The creativity of these works are not only reflected in the finished paintings but also evident in Fedden's artistic process and her still life arrangements which became principle subjects for many of her works.

Fedden moved to Durham Wharf on the Thames in Chiswick at the end of the 1940s, where she lived and worked until her passing. In 1951, she married artist Julian Trevelyan, whom she had met before the war. The couple travelled extensively across Europe, Africa, India, Russia, and America. Since 1946, Fedden painted prolifically, holding regular exhibitions at the Redfern Gallery, New Grafton Gallery, and numerous other galleries throughout the UK.