Felicity Ursula Hartland Charlton (1913 – 18 March 2009) was a British artist known for combining realism and fantasy elements in her paintings often of figures in gardens. Although born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Charlton spent the majority of her life working in Wales.

Biography

Charlton was born in the Clifton area of

and attended the

West of England College of Art The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a Public university, public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of hi ...

in the city. There she met her future husband, the artist

Evan Charlton Evan Charlton (1904–1984) was a British artist who painted surrealist landscapes and interiors. Early life and education Charlton, whose mother was Welsh, was born in London. He studied chemistry at University College, London, where he gradua ...

, who was teaching at the college. Felicity Charlton moved to Wales in 1938 and throughout World War II worked as an agricultural labourer there. After the war, she resumed her artistic career and took part in a number of group shows. These included the 1949

Welsh Arts Council The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; ) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts Council (), its English name w ...

exhibition ''Twenty-Five Paintings by Contemporary Welsh Artists'', the 1951 ''Festival Exhibition of Contemporary Welsh Painting'' and the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...

exhibition ''The Artist in Wales'' that toured during 1952. A number of solo shows, at

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

in 1973,

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in both 1989 and 1991 and, in 1993, a retrospective at

Newport Museum and Art Gallery Newport Museum and Art Gallery () (known locally as the City Museum ()) is a museum, library and art gallery in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is located in Newport city centre on John Frost Square and is adjoined to the Kingsway Shop ...

followed. She also exhibited with the South Wales Group and at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

. Evan Charlton also based his career in Wales, as an art lecturer in Cardiff, and the couple had a number of joint exhibitions. These included a major retrospective, ''Evan and Felicity Charlton: Paintings 1937-86'' at the

Royal West of England Academy The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is Bristol's oldest art gallery, located in Clifton, Bristol, near the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road. Situated in a Grade II* listed building, it hosts five galleries and an exhibition prog ...

in Bristol. Works by Felicity Charlton are held by the Newport Museum, the

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is the public art gallery of the City and County of Swansea, in Wales, United Kingdom. The gallery is situated in Alexandra Road, near Swansea railway station, opposite the old Swansea Central Library. History The ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and the

National Museum Cardiff National Museum Cardiff (), formerly known as the National Museum of Wales, is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Entry is kept free by a grant from the Wel ...

. The New Hall Art Collection in Cambridge and the Contemporary Art Society for Wales also hold examples.

Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff Metropolitan University () is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC; , ) which was established in 1996. The university offers degree courses in a variety of d ...

awards an annual prize, the Evan and Felicity Charlton Travel Award, in memory of the couple.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Felicity 1913 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English painters 21st-century English women artists Alumni of the University of the West of England, Bristol Artists from Bristol English women painters People from Clifton, Bristol 20th-century British women painters 21st-century British women painters