Frederick Vincent Ellis (5 February 1892 – 8 November 1961) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

artist and art teacher. His works of notable stained glass windows include the war memorial windows in the

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

, the World War I memorial window in the Hunter Building of

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, and windows in the First Presbyterian Church, Dunedin, and Timaru Boys' High School.

Background and war service

He was born in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

, England. He studied at the Halifax Technical College School of Art from 1909 to 1913, and gained distinction in drawing in the 1914 the Board of Education exams, being placed second in England. In 1914 he was awarded a scholarship to study at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, London, but soon after entering his studies were postponed by the First World War. He served in France for four years as a gunner with the Duke of Wellington's West Yorkshire Regiment. Ellis suffered the effects of gas during the war.

Qualifications and teaching

At the war's end, he returned to the Royal College and gained the Diploma of ARCA in 1921, also completing the teaching course. His studies at the Royal College included

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

design under Professor Anning Bell and he executed several commissions before moving to New Zealand. Following medical advice, he travelled to New Zealand early in 1922, taking up a three-year teaching position at King Edward Technical College School of Art in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

as part of the La Trobe scheme. He was head of crafts, teaching drawing, etching, engraving and lettering. The intentions of the scheme were to raise the standards of art education in New Zealand and introduce more modern approaches to students. Other artists moving to New Zealand under the scheme included R. N. Field, Francis Shurrock, Christopher Perkins and Roland Hipkins. Ellis married Elizabeth Bunbury in 1926 and moved to

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, having joined the staff of N.Z. Railways Publicity Studios. He taught evening classes in life drawing and design from 1927 to 30 at the Wellington Technical College School of Art, and became a full-time tutor at the School from 1930. He was appointed head of department in 1939, a position he held until retiring in 1959. He died in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

on 8 November 1961.

Artworks

His New Zealand career saw many more windows designed, both in ecclesiastical and secular areas. The most notable include the war memorial windows in the

, the World War I memorial window in the Hunter Building of

, and windows in the First Presbyterian Church, Dunedin, and Timaru Boys' High School. His church windows are to be found throughout New Zealand.

Etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

s, statues, and paintings in oil and watercolour also testify to his wide range of skills. He was a regular exhibitor in the Academy of Fine Arts shows in Wellington.

Notable students

Ellis' notable ex-pupils include Vivian Lynn (1944–45), Valerie Beere, John Drawbridge,

Alan Pearson Alan Robert Pearson (23 August 1929 – 2019) was a Neo-expressionism, neo-expressionist painter who lived in New Zealand and, in his later life, Australia. Life and work Pearson was born on 23 August 1929 in Liverpool, England, and moved to ...

Don Peebles Donald Clendon Peebles (5 March 1922 – 27 March 2010) was a New Zealand artist. He is regarded as a pioneer of abstract art in New Zealand, and his works are held in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Museum of New Ze ...

, Beverley Shore Bennett,

Guy Ngan Guy Ngan (; 3 February 1926 – 26 June 2017) was a New Zealand artist. He worked across a large range of media, including sculpture, painting, drawing, design and architecture, and is known for his incorporation of Māori motifs such as the ti ...

and

Gordon Walters Gordon Frederick Walters (24 September 1919 – 5 November 1995) was a Wellington-born artist and graphic designer who is significant to New Zealand culture due to his representation of New Zealand in his Modern Abstract artworks. Education G ...

.Auckland Art Gallery
/ref> Many consider that Ellis contributed in no small measure to the artistic development and appreciation of many people in his adopted country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Frederick Vincent 1892 births 1961 deaths Alumni of the Royal College of Art British Army personnel of World War I Duke of Wellington's Regiment soldiers English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand art educators 20th-century New Zealand painters 20th-century New Zealand male artists Military personnel from Halifax, West Yorkshire