Edward Arthur Walton 1860-1922. Walton was born at Glanderston House, Barrhead, Renfrewshire on the 18th March 1922, into an exceptionally talented family. He was a Scottish painter of landscapes and portraits studying art in Düsseldorf before attending Glasgow School of Art School where he met Sir James Guthrie.
Edward Arthur Walton. Back Wynd, Ceres. The Uplands of Ceres.
Walton was a close friend of artist Joseph Crawhall – Walton’s brother Richard having married Judith Crawhall in 1878. Walton and Guthrie lived in Glasgow until 1894 becoming became part of the Glasgow School or Glasgow Boys, all of whom were great admirers of James McNeill Whistler. Their favourite painting haunts were in the Trossachs and at Crowland in Lincolnshire. In 1883 Walton joined Guthrie, who had taken a house in the Berwickshire village of Cockburnspath. Carrying out portrait commissions became Walton’s main source of income. In the 1880s and 1890s he painted murals in the main building of the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888 and other buildings in the city.
Walton was in London from 1894 until 1904, living in Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, a neighbour of Whistler and John Lavery. While in London, Walton often painted in Suffolk, spending summers at the Old Vicarage in Wenhaston. Here he painted pastoral scenes in oil and watercolour, the latter often on buff paper with creative interplay between paper and paint.
Walton married the artist Helen Law (née Henderson) after becoming engaged on 29th November 1889. Helen gave up her painting career in order to tend to their family.
Walton died at 7 Belford Park in Edinburgh and is buried in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh, near the north-east corner of the northern Victorian section.
William Miller Frazer 1864-1961. Frazer was born at Scone, Perthshire. He was a landscape painter highly influenced by his many visits to Algeria, Holland, Italy and Norway. He was fond of the Norfolk Broads, the Fens and the lowlands of Scotland and Fife in particular. He was a founder member of the Scottish Society of Artists of which he was president in 1908. He was one of the best loved artists of his day and spent most of his time at his house in Findhorn. He died in Edinburgh.
Ceres Kirk. Ceres, Fife.
Robert Dickie Cairns 1866-1944. Cairns an artist, teacher and founder member of the Dumfries & Galloway Art Society. He was also Art Master at Dumfries Academy, 1889-1927, he exhibited only rarely.
When Scotland’s police forces were looking for one emblem to represent them all, they turned to Dumfries. Dumfries chief constable William Black approached Dumfries Academy art master Robert Dickie Cairns to produce a suitable logo. Cairns designed the badge carrying the Semper Vigilo – Always Alert – motto.
Ceres, the Glebe. Hens outside a barn, Ceres.
John Guthrie Spence Smith 1880=1951. Smith was born on 14th February 1880 the fourth and youngest son of Perth Linen Draper Joseph Smith and his wife Grace Farquharson. Contracting Scarlet Fever in infancy caused Smith to lose his hearing and his speech. He was known to his friends as ‘Dummy Smith’.
By 1906 he was attending the RSA Life Drawing Classes in Edinburgh. Most of his work was executed in Perthshire, Angus, Fife and the Lothians.
Having settled in Edinburgh by 1909 Smith was a co-founder and member of the so-called Edinburgh Group which centred round Eric Robertson and his wife Cecile Walton. He spent some of his later yeas in the house of his friend William Mervyn Glass.
John died at his home in Edinburgh on 22nd October 1951.
John Guthrie Spence Smith Below: Farm Cottages, Ceres. Top Right: A quiet Corner of Ceres. The other two, right. The Mill House, Ceres.
William Mervyn Glass 1885-1965. Glass was born in Aberdeenshire in 1885. He studied at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and at the Royal Scottish Academy Life School in Edinburgh. He also studied in Paris and Italy. In 1913 he moved to Edinburgh before serving in the War.
A painter of coastal scenes, seascapes and landscapes, he was particularly fond of painting Iona, where he would paint alongside Maclauchlane Milne, Cadell and Peploe.
Glass refused to teach and committed his time to painting: ‘The thing that gets me is that nine-tenths of the painters in Scotland have to beg for their bread and butter. In their spare time and during holidays they squeeze in enough time to do some real painting’.
George Leslie Hunter 1877-1931. Hunter was a prolific painter of Ceres and his works are too numerous to mention here. Below the link to an earlier blog re Hunter, Meldrum and Ceres. Click on the link below.
Hunter would arm himself with small boards when walking around Ceres executing many quick painted sketches.
Ceres at harvest time was a recurring theme for Hunter. The shop, Ceres in Main Street is a seldom seen work.
Just a sample of some of Hunters better known works below.
Latch Cottage. Old Mill, Ceres. The Mill, Ceres (landscape painted on the reverse). Mill Buildings, Ceres. The Mill Dam. Ceres Kirk.
Here’s the commercials. There are four Ceres works presently in my Etsy Shop, the latest is a lino-cut The Glebe, Ceres. For locals it’s easier and cheaper to buy direct – 07731904559.
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/BennisonArtist/tools/listings?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Lino-cut- The Glebe, Ceres, inspired by Robert Dickie Cairns painting. An edition of 30 signed and numbered £20 in mount.
For Sale. These reproductions of Hunter’s ‘Ceres Kirk’ and Walton’s ‘Back Wynd, Ceres’ from the originals were produced by Fife Museum/Art Services. They are 12 x 10 ins. printed on high quality gloss photo paper. Would look lovely framed. £20 each.
Graham Bennison 01334-656844 07731904559 https://www.facebook.com/BennisonArtist
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