Meredith William Hawes (1905-1999) - 1992 Gouache Driftwood

Description

A captivating gouache painting by the British artist Meredith William Hawes, depicting a landscape scene with driftwood and mountains in the distance. Signed and dated to the lower right-hand corner. There is an exhibition label on the reverse inscribed with the artist's name and title. Presented in a wash line card mount and in a distressed gilt-effect frame. On watercolour paper.

Condition

Painting in fine condition. Minor marks to the mount and small scuffs to the frame.

Size

22.9 x 31.5cm (9" x 12.4")
Framed Size: 43.2 x 50.8cm (17" x 20")

Artist Biography

Meredith William Hawes was a painter and teacher born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, the son of a civil servant with the Admiralty, who spent his spare time writing detective stories, plays and children's books. Hawes attended Croydon School of Art from 1922-24 winning a scholarship to the RCA, 1926-30 where his tutors included Edward Bawden and Eric Ravilious. Although working on book illustrations, which required small, detailed drawings, at the same time Hawes became involved in the RCA's theatrical society for which he both designed and painted scenery. As a teacher, his first position was at Bournemouth School of Art, 1930-32. His other teaching posts included a short period at Derby College of Art as Head of Design, Vice-Principal of Hull College of Art, Principal of Bournville School of Art, Birmingham in 1938, Portsmouth College of Art in 1945, and finally Birmingham School of Art, where he was also Director of the local branch schools. His many commissions included a decorative panel in the house of a doctor in Manchester, various designs for panels for restaurants and a ballroom, then a scheme for a new cinema in Poole, Dorset where he had to paint the foyer and auditorium. An example of his work can be seen in the collection of Poole Museum Service.
In Hull, he designed the town centre decorations for the Coronation of George VI and later in Birmingham the City Council initiated a 'Plays in the Park' scheme which involved Hawes working on an enormous scale in order to decorate the 200ft-long, 20ft-high side of Birmingham Town Hall. Hawes also designed for the Gas Council and the Electricity Board and executed graphics for publishers including John Murray, the Oxford University Press and Jonathan Cape. In 1952, he was made a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths for his services to the arts. He was involved with many institutions and was a member of the Ipswich Art Club, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (who held a large retrospective of his work in July 1997) and the RWS. In May 1999, Abbott and Holder, Bloomsbury held an exhibition of work mostly from the 1920’s and 1930’s.