Marie Whitby (1932 - 2015) was more of an "outsider" lady artist. She lived in the village of Ashwell in Hertfordshire - with her sister Pauline (a science fiction writer). Her parents were the Head Teachers at the local school.
Today, she is probably better known for her little sculptural figures that she sold in her shop in the village rather than her linocut prints.
In the 1950s, at the age of 17, she studied for a while at the Chelsea School of Art. She then worked for three years making props and as a scene painter at the Old Vic Theatre. She then worked for a time as a teacher of Arts and Crafts at the Chesterfield Grammar School.
In 1963 she traveled to Ghana to visit her sister.
In 1964 she bought a shop in her home town and started up her very successful Seven Spring Pottery where she sold her ceramics. Her figures met with great success and orders often exceeded her capacity to produce them.
Both sisters died in 2015. Examples of their work can be seen in the Ashwell Village Museum.
In 1963, Marie travelled to Ghana where her sister was working for the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations in Ghana. Marie was inspired by the location and people and sent home a request for materials to be sent out to allow her to produce a series of linocut prints.
Within five weeks - she had produced enough works to hold an exhibition of her linocuts on African life for the Ghana Arts Council. She said, "I sold a fantastic amount as there was very little art out there and people thought they were a good record of life there". She managed to accumulate £700 from the sales of her prints. This was a large sum in the early 1960s.
Her linocuts also appear to have been exhibited at the Commonwealth Gallery at 8 Rutland Square in Edinburgh in 1964. This is probably the provenance of my one.
It was the success of the sale of these linocuts that financed Marie's shop.
This is a now very rare and large Ghanaian linocut by her. It is signed with her initials in the top left: MW and is dated 1963 and inscribed Accra This is number 2 out of a small edition of 22. The subject shows all the activities on the beach at Sakumono in Ghana. The villagers are getting all the fishing nets ready to load onto a large fishing canoe - there is certainly a lot of activity going on at the shoreline. Exotic palm trees can be seen in the distance. All the little figures would have probably interested Marie - as they are quite similar to ceramic models she would later make in her pottery.
I have never seen a work like this by her before. It is a rare survivor - it is certainly a most competent and attractive work. I am not sure why more of these fine linocuts have not survived - as they are certainly very compelling works and interesting historically.
My linocut has been given a new window mount - and is all ready for you to frame. It is sold unframed but with the new fresh mount and backing - as photographed.
This will be posted in the UK with Parcelforce24. This will be applied to your order at the checkout.