The Berwyn Range; Grosvenor Museum
An art exhibition showcasing the work of Mildred Elsi Eldridge will be shown at Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor until Saturday 20 September 2014.
Mildred Elsi Eldridge, known to her friends as Elsi, was a talented and prolific painter and illustrator. The exhibition of her work features works on loan from public and private collections, including the Bangor University Archives.
Her work is in numerous public collections including the V&A, British Museum, Royal Watercolour Society, National Library of Wales, National Portrait Gallery, Manchester and Birmingham Museums, as well as being sought after by private collectors such as Brinsley Ford, Leonard Duke and Mary & Louis Behrend.
She studied at Wimbledon College of Art and the Royal College of Art. She was awarded won a prestigious travel scholarship to Italy upon graduating in 1933. At her first solo show, she sold all her works and was reviewed favourably in London’s society magazines. During her lifetime she was commissioned to design murals, a church window, was selected to be part of the Recording Britain project, illustrated (and wrote) books, making a successful living from her art work.
She was varied in her output; she worked in oil, watercolour, pen and ink, crayon and clay. She was prolific; with over 2000 finished pictures. She was varied in style; an artist constantly experimenting in her technique as well as in her chosen subjects. From landscapes, portraits, abstract or semi mythological paintings, still life, detailed anatomical studies of the natural world, to playful and imaginative illustrations for children’s books.
Despite her obvious achievements, Mildred Eldridge’s work remains largely unrecognised, her fame often being overshadowed by her poet husband, R.S. Thomas. This exhibition builds on recent attention to Mildred Eldridge’s work, following an exhibition at Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw, Pwllheli, a TV documentary and the publication of R.S.Thomas’s, ‘Letters to Elsi’, all in 2013.
For more information visit www.gwynedd.gov.uk/museums or contact Esther Roberts on 01248 353 368 [email protected]
