Artist: Ray Howard-Jones

Title: 'Guerre de l'An' - original signed painting in gouache on paper, framed

Description: Ray Howard-Jones (1903-1996) was born in Lambourn, Berkshire of Welsh parents.  She was a gifted painter in oil, gouache and watercolour of coastal scenes and landscapes (especially of Pembrokeshire and the Gower Peninsular), and of still lifes and portraits.  Ray (christened Rosemary) grew up in Penarth during World War I and she came to know Tenby and the Pembrokeshire coast and islands.  She studied art at the Slade School in London 1920-24 under P W Steer and Professor Tonks.  By the early years of World War II the work of Ray Howard Jones was getting noticed and she was to become an accredited war artist and her work is represented in the Imperial War Museum.  In 1946 she attended the Patrick Allan-Fraser School of Art in Arbroath, where James Cowie RSA was warden.

In the period 1949-58, Ray Howard-Jones spent much time living and painting on the remote island of Skomer, off the Pembrokeshire coast near to Milford Haven. She also painted at the nearby island of Skokholm.  Some of the pictures from this period were exhibited subsequently in solo shows held at the Leicester Galleries in London in 1959, 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1969. Ray also exhibited with the Royal Academy etc and her work is held in a number of public collections, including the Goverment Art Collection and the National Museum of Wales who hold 26 paintings.  She died in London aged 93 years.

The present work is an original painting in gouache measuring about 11 x 11 inches image size and about 19.5 x 19.5 inches in its more recent frame which is of good quality and in good condition.  The painting is signed lower left 'RAY' and is dated 1942. It has the label verso of the well known art dealers Abbott and Holder of Museum Street, London WC1 giving the title of the work and stating that the painting had been exhibited previously at The Modern Art Gallery (we think in the 1940s).  We think Abbott and Holder had an exhibition of Ray's work some time in the 1990s and presumably this painting was exhibited in that show.  Although Ray Howard-Jones was an accredited war artist we think it unlikely that this work was a record of the war for that purpose; it is more an emotional personal response by the artist to those difficult years. The painting is in good original condition although it should be noted that the artist extended the work twice by adding paper to the original sheet as she developed her ideas for the composition...

Price: £sold

Size: 11 x 11 inches image size

Shipping: £10 to UK mainland. Please enquire of us for other destinations.

Ref #: 0735