Big Sky Fine Art Animal Paintings

Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). Fronarth Northern Star. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Right. Image size 19.7 inches x 27.6 inches ( 50cm x 70cm ). Frame size 21.1 inches x 28.9 inch...

Margaret Maitland Howard. English ( b.1898 - d.1983 ). Pan, God Of Nature, Playing Panpipes. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Left. Image size 22.6 inches x 18.1 inches ( 57.5cm x 46cm ). Frame size 26.8 inches x 22.2 inches ( 68cm x 56.5cm ). Available for sale; this original oil painting is by the English artist Margaret Maitland Howard and dates from the 1930s. The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic contemporary frame (which is shown in these photographs), mounted with new fixtures. The canvas has been lined and mounted on a newly constructed custom made stretcher. The painted surface has benefitted from cleaning and conservation, all of which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval. This vintage painting is now in very good condition. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower left. Margaret Maitland Howard was an accomplished and versatile English artist whose works spanned the early to mid-20th century. Known for her evocative and often mythologically inspired oil paintings, Howard’s work reflects a deep engagement with classical themes and her knowledge of nature, and the human form. She was also proficient working in watercolours and pastels and an accomplished sculptor. Margaret, who was always known as “Marjorie” was born in Friern, Barnet, London on 31 July 1898, the daughter of artist and civil servant Henry James Howard. She grew up at Sutton, Surrey, where she spent most of her life. She spent many years living and working from St. Katherine’s, Malgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey. She was educated privately, at the Byam Shaw and then attended the Vicat Cole School of Art, completing her studies at the Royal Academy Schools, where she won five silver medals and other awards. She was also the recipient of a British Institute scholarship and extension and won the 1926 prize for her portrait work at the National Welsh Eisteddfod in Swansea. She exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy, showing at least ten works of classical and biblical themes at Summer Exhibitions between 1923 and 1935. She was one of the early group of women who painted nudes, a practice which was considered somewhat risqué and vulgar in the early twentieth century. She also exhibited at other leading galleries and in the provinces and consistently pursued her art despite the challenges posed by the societal norms of the time. Howard had a significant professional career for a woman of her generation. Just after World War II she was appointed draughtsman to the Institute of Archaeology at London University where she worked from 1948 to 1960. This is now part of University College, London. Here, she worked as an illustrator and sculptor, creating models for Professor Frederick Zeuner to use in his lectures. She also illustrated one of his important books (Zeuner, F.E. Dating the Past, London: Methuen). She also created the bust of Gordon Childe, now in the Institute’s Library. After her retirement from the Institute of Archaeology she collaborated with Ian Wolfran Cornwall on his series of books about the prehistoric world. In 1956, whilst working for the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, she moved to Balawat and supervised the archaeological work at the site of an ancient Assyrian city in northern Mesopotamia. She subsequently prepared drawings of the Balawat Gates, which was significant and technical work. In addition to illustrating various books on ancient history and anthropology, Howard was also known as an illustrator of fictional books, producing an illustrated edition of the Fables of Aesop that was published by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1926. She also illustrated Elizabeth Ward...

Raimond Louis Lecourt French ( b.1882 - d.1946 ). Chevaux À L'Abreuvoir, 1908. (Horses At The Trough). Oil On Canvas. Signed & Dated 1908 Lower Left. Image size 14.2 inches x 17.3 in...

Charles Walter Simpson. English ( b.1885 - d.1971 ). Dartmoor Ponies, Devon. Oil On Board. Signed Lower Right. Image size 20.7 inches x 28.2 inches ( 52.5cm x 71.5cm ). Frame size 29.5 inches x 37 inches (75cm x 94cm ). Available for sale; this original oil painting is by Charles Simpson and dates from the 1930s. The painting is presented and supplied in a contemporary and sympathetic wood frame (which is shown in these photographs) mounted using conservation materials and behind non-reflective Artglass AR 70™ glass. The previous ply backboard has been retained and is secured onto the new replacement backboard for posterity. This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower right. Previously with Harris & Sons, 70 George Street, Plymouth, Devon in July 1936. Charles Walter Simpson, known as Walter, was a leading figure in the Newlyn and St Ives art colonies in the early part of the twentieth century. He is perhaps best known in America for his horse paintings but is also widely acclaimed for his mastery of birds. It has been said that as a painter of wildfowl Simpson can have few rivals. He worked in oils, watercolors and tempera. Walter was born at Camberley on 8th May 1855. His mother was Leonora (nee Devas) and his father was Major-General Charles Rudyard Simpson of the Lincolnshire Regiment. Initially Walter was educated by a private tutor, and he later attended the Herkomer School at Bushey. As a youngster Walter was destined for a military career. However, this was prevented by a riding accident which affected both his hearing and sight. He had a considerable talent for drawing and determined to become an artist instead. Walter was initially largely self-taught, but then received guidance from family friends such as G.F. Watts and H.W.B. Davis, RA. He later studied for a short time under the renowned animal artist Lucy Kemp-Welch at Bishley, then with Sir Alfred Munnings, with whom he developed a life-long friendship, at Swainsthorpe. Munnings encouraged him to visit Cornwall, where he studied under Stanhope Forbes RA in Newlyn. Simpson’s first home in West Cornwall was Penzer House in Newlyn, where he was living in 1908. Finally, Simpson completed his studies at the Academie Julien in Paris in 1910. On his return from Paris, Simpson moved to Cornwall again and became engaged to fellow artist Ruth Alison just a couple of days after first meeting her. They were married in 1913, living first in Newlyn and then in Lamorna at “Brodriggy”. They had a daughter, Leonora, born in 1914. In 1916 Simpson and his family moved to St. Ives to set up their own School of Painting, which they ran from numbers 1 and 2 Piazza Studios. During this period Simpson dominated the St. Ives art scene. The family moved back to London in 1924 but returned to Cornwall in 1931. Altogether, they moved between West Cornwall and London eleven times. From his studio in Cornwall Simpson painted in earnest, often on a grand scale, producing wonderful large decorative canvases, specialising in wild ducks, gulls and other sea birds. He had a reputation as an outstanding animal and bird painter. Paget described Charles Simpson in 1945 as “undoubtedly the best bird painter living. He alone, of all artists past and present, can make his birds appear out of their backgrounds as one approaches them, or the light is increased as in nature…”. Simpson relished painting en plein air and Laura Knight commented, "He was so prodigal with paint, he could be traced by the color left on the bushes!". Simpson first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1906, initially painting mainly non-sporting subjects. From then on, he was a regular contributor to the Royal Academy exhibitions. It was not until 1924, when a rodeo was held at Wembley during which he worked in the ring and produced a book call El Rodeo...

Harold Walton Freckleton. English ( b.1890 - d.1979 ). Milly With Minstrel. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Right. Image size 24.4 inches x 29.52 inches ( 62cm x 75cm ). Frame size 30.7 inches x 35.8 inches ( 78cm x 91cm ). Available for sale; this original oil painting is by the Nottingham artist Harry Freckleton and dates from the 1960s. The painting is presented and supplied in its’ original wooden frame (which is shown in these photographs). The frame, canvas and the painted surface have benefitted from cleaning, restoration and conservation, which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval. The original cotton covered slip has been replaced. This vintage painting is now in very good condition, defying its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting is signed lower right. The acclaimed artist Harry Freckleton was born in Nottingham in 1890 and lived there for most of his life. He studied at the Nottingham School of Arts, as it was then known, from 1904 to 1912 under Wilson Foster and was much influenced by the local painter Arthur Spooner. He worked as a lithograph artist, and then served in the army during World War 1. He then worked as an artist for New Zealand Cine Studios and went on to run his own photographic business from 1924-65. Freckleton married the artist Vera Freckleton and they spent most of their married life living in at Whitegates in The Park, Nottingham. Most of Freckleton’s art is painted in oils, and he specialised in still life, landscape and figurative work, especially childhood scenes. His best works have a strong human interest, with an individual technique showing quality and fine execution. He was a member of the Nottingham Society of Artists, exhibiting there and becoming an esteemed Associate. As a successful artist Freckleton exhibited work seven times at the Royal Academy, as well as the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Royal Society of British Artists. His work continues to be sought-after and is today represented in permanent collections in Nottingham, Blackpool, Huddersfield and elsewhere. © Big Sky Fine Art This beautiful oil on canvas painting by Harry Freckleton shows a scene in an English farmyard. Besides an old green painted barn and a tall haystack, we see Minnie, a young girl sitting astride Minstrel, her brown pony. She is wearing a riding hat, white blouse and red trousers, and looks down at her left side towards a second figure, in a blue top and tan trousers, who is possibly adjusting her stirrups. A third figure, another girl, in grey blouse...

Hazel M. Barnett. Ponies At Penlan, Swansea, Wales. 1967. Oil On Board. Signed Monogram Lower Right. Image size 17.9 inches x 35.6 inches ( 45.5cm x 90.5cm ). Frame size 19.7 inche...

Elin Siân Blake. Welsh ( b.1981). War Horse. Lest We Forget. Oil On Artist’s Canvas Board. Signed Lower Left. Image size 23.4 inches x 19.5 inches ( 59.5cm x 49.5cm ). Frame size 28...

Douglas Van Howd. American ( b.1935 ). Zebra Mare And Foal. Oil On Board. Signed Lower Right. Image size 10.6 inches x 13.6 inches ( 27cm x 34.5cm ). Frame size 19.3 inches x 22 in...

John Rattenbury Skeaping. English ( b.1901 - d.1980 ). Rodeo. Bareback Bronco, 1966. Gouache On Paper. Signed & Dated Lower Right. Image size 21.3 inches x 29.1 inches ( 54cm x 74...

David Wilde. English ( b.1913 - d.1974 ). Cock Fight. Impasto Acrylics. Signed & Titled. Image size 15.4 inches x 22.2 inches ( 39cm x 56.5cm ). Frame size 19.1 inches x 26 inches ...

Dame Elisabeth Frink. English ( b.1930 - d.1993 ). Hawk, 1969. Watercolor. Signed & Dated Lower Right. Image size 25.4 inches x 19.5 inches ( 64.5cm x 49.5cm ). Frame size 34.4 inches x 28.1 inches ( 87.5cm x 71.5cm ). Available for sale; this original painting is by Dame Elisabeth Frink and is dated 1969. The painting is presented and supplied in a glazed frame and mount dating from June 1997. This vintage watercolor is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. The watercolor is signed and dated lower right. Previously with Beaux Arts, London and Bath in 1999. Dame Elisabeth Frink was one of Britain’s most important post-war sculptors, an accomplished draughtsman, illustrator and teacher. She was part of the post-war school of expressionist British sculptors dubbed the Geometry of Fear, and enjoyed a highly acclaimed career that was commercially successful, broke boundaries and contributed greatly to bringing wonderful sculpture to public places. She was born on 14 November 1930 in Thurlow, the daughter of a cavalry officer, and brought up in rural Suffolk near to an active airbase. She was brought up a Catholic and educated at the Convent of the Holy Family, Exmouth. She then studied at the Guildford School of Art from 1947-1949 under Willi Soukop and Henry Moore’s assistant, Bernard Meadows, and then at the Chelsea School in London 1949-1953. She taught at Chelsea School of Art 1951-61, St. Martin’s School of Art 1954-62 and was a visiting instructor at the Royal College of Art 1965-1967, after which she lived in France until 1973. Frink first came to the attention of the public in 1951 at an exhibition at the Beaux Arts Gallery, London. In 1952 she represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, being described by Herbert Read as “the most vital, the most brilliant and the most promising of the whole Biennale”. The same year the Tate bought its first work by her, and she began to enjoy commercial success. Thereafter she exhibited regularly and was for 27 years associated with Waddington’s, London. The subjects which Frink was most concerned with were man, dog and horses, with and without riders. Interestingly she seldom sculpted the female form, drawing on archetypes of masculine strength, struggle and aggression. Her work has the recurring themes of the vulnerable and the predatory, in the spirit of an authentic post-war artist. It has been said that she was more concerned with representing mankind that portraits of individuals. The appeal of her work lies in its directness, provoking a frank statement of feeling. The anatomy is often exaggerated or incorrect; the impact growing more out of her interest in the spirit of the subject. Her animals and birds may be drawn from nature but verge on the abstract, conveying raw emotion and character rather than a realistic depiction. Her unique style is characterised by a rough treatment of the surface which embeds each piece with vitality and her personal impression. In her later work even the distinction between human and bird figures becomes blurred. Commentators have noted that the often rugged, brutal and contorted surfaces of her work reflect the destruction and terror of the six-year world-wide conflict that she witnessed as a child. Frink was an active supporter of Amnesty International. In the 1960s and early 1970s Frink produced a notable series of falling figures and winged men. Later, living in France during the Algerian war, she began making heads, blinded by goggles which had a threatening facelessness. Frink produced many notable public commissions, including Wild Boar for Harlow New Town, Blind Beggar and Dog for Bethnal Green, Noble Horse and Rider for Piccadilly, London, a lectern for Coventry Cathedral, Shepherd for Paternoster Square beside St. Paul’s Cathedral and a Walking Madonna for Salisbury Cathedral. In the early 1980s she produced a set of three larger than life figures The Dorset Martyrs which stand on the edge of the old walled town of Dorchester on the site of the old gallows, as a memorial to those who had been executed there ‘for conscience sake’. Frink’s Canterbury Tales was a collection of 19 etchings drawn directly on to copper plates and etched by her. The ‘book’ was issued in three limited editions. Her illustrations have been praised as “amongst the most successful illustrations of the century, encompassing the mood of the text in concise delineations and disarmingly ribald humour”. She illustrated other books with colored lithographs or drawings. Frink was on the Board of Trustees, British Museum from 1976, and was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission 1976-81. CBR (1969), DBE ((1982), Associate of the Royal Academy (1971), Royal Academy (1977). She was made a Companion of Honour in 1992. She died on 18 April 1993, but not before completing her last commission, a monumental but unusual figure of Christ for the front of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, unveiled a week before her death. For several decades Frink exhibited widely in the UK and abroad. In her later years she lived and worked in Dorset where her home and garden became an arena for her work. In 1985 she had a retrospective at the Royal Academy. She died on 18 April 1993, but not before completing her last commission, a monumental but unusual figure of Christ for the front of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, unveiled a week before her death. There was a memorial show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Bretton Hall in 1994. Today Frink is venerated as one of the great twentieth century British sculptors. Her unique work is represented in the Tate Gallery and major public and private collections world-wide. © Big Sky Fine Art This original watercolor on paper painting of a hawk by Dame Elizabeth Frink...

Henry Robinson Hall. English ( b.1857 - d.1927 ). Highland Cattle In The Margins Of A Scottish Loch. Oil On Canvas. Signed Lower Left. Image size 23.4 inches x 15.4 inches ( 59.5cm x...