Ann Stokes or Ann Mellis (21 September 1922 – 21 April 2014) was a British and Scottish-born ceramic artist.

Life

Stokes was born on the east coast of Scotland at

Gullane Gullane ( or ) is a town on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian on the east coast of Scotland. There has been a church in the village since the ninth century. The ruins of the Old Church of St. Andrew built in the twel ...

in 1922. She was born at the

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

as her father was a Reverend. In 1939 her sister and her husband Adrian Stokes, who was a writer and leading art critic, had moved to St Ives where they would establish a new artistic school. Ann went to live with her sister where she would meet some of the artists who became important to the new school. In 1946 Adrian's marriage to her sister failed and the following year he married Ann. This was illegal in Britain so they had to travel to Switzerland to find someone who was legally allowed to marry them. In 1957 she took up pottery and she studied the subject deeply, whilst presenting her work to friends as a hobby with an annual sale of work. Adrian died and after a number of years she remarried Ian Angus who was a librarian and an expert of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

. They would spend part of the year in Italy where Stokes had another studio. Her new husband would amuse himself caring for their olives. They were happy together. Stokes ceramics were collected in her lifetime. She would create sculptures of animals like crocodiles, fish and birds as well as painted plates. Her influences included ancient Cretan pots, Mediterranean pottery and the work of

Alfred Wallis Alfred Wallis (18 August 1855 – 29 August 1942) was a British artist and fisherman, known for his port landscapes and shipping scenes painted in a naïve style. Having no artistic training, he began painting at the age of 70, using househo ...

. She was chosen as the first modern potter to exhibit at the

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...

in 1985 - and thirty years later there has not been another.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Ann 1922 births 2014 deaths People from East Lothian British ceramicists Scottish ceramicists Scottish women ceramicists