§ Mary Newcomb (British 1922-2008) Figures in Autumnal

§ Mary Newcomb (British 1922-2008) Figures in Autumnal Landscape, 1957 signed and dated (lower right), oil on board (54cm x 89cm (21.25in x 35in)) Footnote: Mary Newcomb referred to herself as an 'untaught artist'. She studied Natural Sciences at Reading University and began to paint following her marriage and move to rural Norfolk. Her sensitive imagery is based on keen observation of her natural surroundings, in which field studies are infused with a lyrical romanticism. This can be seen in Autumnal Landscape, which is a rare early work. Her biographer, Christopher Andreae, identified an entry in the artist's diary in which she explained how she worked: "I paint with the canvas against a wall … I tilt it forward at the base for stability. This seems to give me a foothold actually within the canvas about ¾ down, a little platform of my own, for myself on the stage … so that I have a measured amount of space all round me as an actor might have and feel. This gives me the ability to reach out to left and right and behind my shoulders and I am part of the action, in the trees, on the water, in the air, with the figures, in a landscape, totally involved and living in there." A major exhibition of Newcomb's work was held at Compton Verney, Warwickshire in 2021 and her work is being increasingly acquired for UK public collections.