Joan Gillchrest

Art Brokerage: Joan Gillchrest (1918-2008) Naive painter whose work captured the hardships, and the humor, of Cornish life From the late 1950s onwards the naive artist Joan Gillchrest, painted the hard life of Cornwall's rugged Penwith Peninsula, with its fisher folk at sea in all weathers, farmers eking out livings from cliff top small holdings - and holiday makers, enjoying glorious beaches, oblivious to the toil of the locals. Today Joan's work sits alongside other great artists of the St Ives School from the 1960s, but, for a few years painting was difficult for her. She faced opposition from her then partner, the artist Adrian Ryan. "It was only when I threw him out," she observed, "I could do what I really wanted." That was in 1966 and she became absorbed in the lives of the fishermen. Her first solo show (1969) was at the Plymouth Art Gallery and for the next 20 years she exhibited in most of the Cornish galleries. She had solo shows at the Orion, and in Penzance, and at the New Craftsman, St Ives. From 1990 she had annual solo shows with the Wren Gallery in Burford, Oxfordshire and at London's Design Centre. Born in Westminster, Joan was the third of four children. In 1934 she went to Paris to learn the language and develop her art appreciation. She met Gwen John, and studied in various studios, often posing as a model. Two years later she enrolled at the Grosvenor School of Art, and studied under Iain Macnab. In 1942 she married a barrister and Coldstream Guards officer Samuel Gillchrest. In 1953 the couple divorced. An elegant woman, Joan supported herself working for fashion houses as a model. And she also began to paint again. It was after moving to a studio in Tite Street, Chelsea, that she met Ryan. He lived below, and was a friend of Augustus John's son Edwin, who had been left his Aunt Gwen's Paris studio. Joan and Adrian often stayed with Edwin and his wife Betty, mixing with many French artists. Then Betty took herself off to Mousehole. Listings wanted by Art Brokerage.