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| HISTORY
- THREE |
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Chris and Wendy Sinclair moved to Walberswick in
1960. They had met at Wimbledon School of Art in the '50s
and both went on to the Slade where they gained diplomas in
Fine Art. "My parents lived in Halesworth, which was
one reason that we settled here," explains Wendy. "In
fact, I had been exhibiting with the Southwold Art Group since
its early days."
Money
was a problem so, to make ends meet, Chris took a job as a
nursing orderly at Blythburgh Hospital. "At least it
left me mentally free to concentrate on my painting on the
three days a week that I was not at the hospital," says
Chris. "I also started teaching sessions with the Southwold
Art Group which had an active educational role subsidised
by the Council.
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Southwold
& District Annual Summer Art Exhbition in 1955. The
venue in those days was the Homestead on South Green and
the much admired Chinese Geese, sculpted in plaster, were
by Miss Wendy Besley (later Sinclair). "There was
no selection in those days and you didn't even have to
be a member. The organisers were always delighted to receive
anything. The idea of a selected exhibition started a
few years later when the number of exhibitors had grown
so much we had to move to the Conservative Hall."
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Young
Peter Sinclair, second son of Chris and Wendy, presenting
Mrs Field, the Mayor's wife, with a box of chocolates
at the summer exhibition, probably in 1965. |
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"The
Matron of Blythburgh Hospital kindly arranged for me to have
every Wednesday off in term time. I also taught an adult evening
class in Walberswick, also under the auspices of the Council.
Richard Scott's mother was
the main instigator of this class.
"In
1962, I was offered a part-time teaching post in Leiston,
so I resigned from the hospital job. I enjoyed the children
and teaching art but was not a good disciplinarian."
An
important 'outlet' for local artists at that time was the
gallery run by Miss Iris Birtwistle in converted chicken houses
in her garden at Millfield House. Chris and Wendy exhibited
here alongside several well known names in the art world.
Iris Birtwistle had to sell up and move on when neighbours
objected to the disruption caused by the many cars owned by
visitors to the galleries. |
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