Elisabeth Vellacott 1905-2002

Artist, born in Grays, Essex. She studied at Willesden School of Art, 1922-5, then Royal Cllege of Art, 19259, where she was influenced by decorative art Victoria & Albert Museum. Initially she was a designer of fabrics, costumes, and theatre sets, concentrating on painting after World War II, during which destruction of her studio cost most of her work prior to 1942. She became known for her meticulous landscape studies in pencil as well as for figurative and imaginative scenes, which were stylised in an earl Italian manner. Her first show was shared with Gertrude Hermes at the Minories, Colchester, in1968. A retrospective covering her paintings and drawings, 1942-81, was held at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, 1981, with a ninetieth birthday show there 1995,  drawing retrospective at Piers Feetham Gallery, 2000, and a memorial at the Redfern Gallery in 2003. Also showed at New Art Centre. Arts Council holds her work, typical of which was The Expulsion (after Masaccio), exhibited at 1993-4 John Moores Liverpool Exhibition, a figure painting, delicately coloured. Lived in Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon.