Edith Lilla Holmes (9 March 189326 August 1973) was an Australian artist active in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Early life

Holmes was born on 9 March 1893 in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, Tasmania, Australia, the third of five children. Her father, William Nassau Holmes, was an Irish schoolmaster and her mother, Lilla Edith (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

''Thorne), was a Tasmanian-born teacher. Holmes spent her childhood in Hamilton, Devonport and Scottsdale, until her family settled down in Moonah. Her mother recognised Holmes' "good sense of colour" from a young age and encouraged her to pursue art. Holmes attended the Hobart Technical College from 1918 to 1935, where she studied art under the tutelage of Lucien Dechaineux and Mildred Lovett. From 1930 to 1931, she also took classes at the Sydney Art School under

Julian Ashton Julian Rossi Ashton (27 January 185127 April 1942) was an English-born Australian artist and teacher. He is best known for founding the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney and encouraging Australian painters to capture local life and scenery ' ...

and Henry Gibbons. It was there that she became acquainted with

Thea Proctor Alethea Mary Proctor (2 October 1879 – 29 July 1966) was an Australian painter, print maker, designer and teacher who upheld the ideas of 'taste' and 'style'. Biography Proctor was born in Armidale, New South Wales, to William Consett Pr ...

and George Lambert.

Career

In the 1930s, Holmes operated a studio in Hobart together with Lovett, Florence Rodway, Dorothy Stoner, Ethel Nicholls, and Violet Vimpany. Her work was well-received by critics and from 1938 to 1951, she had seven exhibitions in Melbourne, where she met artists

Danila Vassilieff Danila Vassilieff (22 March 1958) was a Russian-born Australian painter and sculptor. He has been called the "father of Australian modernism". Life Danila Ivanovich Vassilieff (Данила Иванович Васильев) was born in 1897 ...

, Eveline Syme, George Bell, and Arnold Shaw. Holmes' annual exhibitions from 1927 to 1972 were supported by the Tasmanian Art Society, whose council Holmes was a member of from 1930 to 1952. She was among the founding members of the Tasmanian Group of Painters in 1940. In 1954, Holmes won a special prize at an art competition commemorating the

sesquicentenary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...

of Hobart. In 1958, she held an exhibition at Tasmania House in London. Two of Holmes' self-portraits, painted in the 1930s, are housed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Holmes was also an active participant of the Victoria League, the English Speaking Union, and the Women's Non-Party League of Tasmania. She was a life member of the United Nations Association's Tasmanian division.

Death and recognition

Holmes died on 26 August 1973 in Hobart, aged 80. She was buried in Forcett Cemetery. In 2003, the Moonah Arts Centre held an exhibition in tribute to Holmes' life. In 2005, she was inducted into the Tasmanian Government's Honour Roll of Women for her contributions to art in Tasmania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Edith Lilla 1893 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Australian painters Artists from Tasmania Australian people of Irish descent 20th-century Australian women painters