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. SHEILA PAINE
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"Speckled Boulders", 2001
water colour on paper
15x20cm
"Meeting Place", 2002
water colour on paper
74x58cm
"Mardy", Oct.2002
pencil on paper
15x20cm
Sheila paine was born in 1929 in England, but died in Wales in 2003. In 1990 she retired to Abergavenny/Gwent where she had her studio. From 1948 to 1951 she studied at Cheltenham Art College, but concentrated on education later. In 1985 she obtained a Ph.D. in art education. She is the author of several books on the subject, and was a close associate of the painter Bert Isaac.
As well as being an exhibiting artist, Sheile Paine is also a writer and researcher. Her Ph.D. thesis at London University in 1985 dealt with 'The Development of Drawing in the Childhood and Adolescence of Individuals'.
Her preferred materials were the free-flowing forms of watercolour and the earthy, gritty quality of graphite. Her lively, penetrating drawings captured the characteristics of the people and the places she encountered. She had a flair for catching a likeness without allowing any tedious groping for detail to dominate otherwise lively results. In contrast with many present day practices, she placed a high value on drawing as the ideal means of preserving the structural essentials in painting. Whatever medium she chose Sheila Paine had a lightness of touch and a fluency that came through constant practise (quoted from the Llantarnam Grange Art Centre programme review for 2003/4).
Bert Isaac wrote for her Retrospective exhibition at Llantarnam Grange in January 2004: "This is an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Sheila Paine. She was well known in Wales for her contributions to a variety of mixed shows of paintings in watercolours and occasional one person exhibitions. Sheila was fascinated by the effects of weather and by the way the elements sculpt the earth's surface. These climatic interactions were the very stuff and substance that made the magic work for her; this was Sheila's delight. Her travelling threw up these contrasts to feed her romantic responses. From the mists of the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to the unyielding blazing sunshine over Luxor or Petra to the dusty, crumbling gardens of the Yemen. It all fed Sheila's imagination. The wet, trickling, liquid acrylic language gave Sheila's painting its rich raw yet unique and sublime expressive qualities. It was hard to organise such inspiring material. It did not always work but when it did it was magical. Sheila succeeded more often then she knew.
Her drawing was searching and eloquent. She often thought in terms of paint even when the effect of her drawings were graphic. She drew with confidence and obvious pleasure. The human form was a challenge she persisted in taking up. In chalk, charcoal and colour she produced a lively selection of interpretations. At conferences, meetings and discussions she formed the habit of sharply observed brief studies of colleagues, notable figures and educators of those days."
Amongst her publications are:
'Artists Emerging', 2000, publ. Ashgate Publishing Company/USA.
'Conflict Paradigms of Vision in Drawing Development Research', in D.Thistlewood, ed., Drawing Research & Development, 1992, publ.Longman Group, London.
'Six Children Draw', editor, 1981, publ.Academy Press, London.
Teaching Experience: lecturer at London University in the 1980s.
