Painter's artwork returns to public after 65 years
Platinum LiveA beloved artwork by a renowned landscape artist has returned to public display after more than 60 years.
Sheila Fell's Pathway to a Farm, painted by the Cumbrian artist in 1959, was acquired by its sole owners in 1961, who displayed it in their Cockermouth home until recently.
The painting did not move far from its home of 65 years and was acquired by the town's Castlegate House Gallery, with the painting now on public display.
Art expert at the gallery Steve Swallow said: "It is one of the best works by Sheila Fell and certainly the most significant painting by her that we have handled in the last 15 years."
Fell was born in Aspatria in 1931 and is a well respected British landscape painter, known for her powerful depictions of the Cumbrian landscape.
She went on to be discovered and mentored by LS Lowry, who also spent a considerable time in Cumbria.
Fell, who died in 1979, is celebrated for her rural and industrial portrayals of life in the north.
Another of her paintings from the same time as Pathway to a Farm has also been acquired by the gallery, again bringing it back into public view after being in private hands in Cambridge.
Haystacks in Winter, painted in 1961, shows JMW Turner's influence on Fell's work.
It depicts a winter landscape along the Solway Plain, with the details in the sky especially reminiscent of Turner's treatment of light.
"Haystacks in Winter speaks clearly of Fell's admiration for Turner and the influence he had on her work," Swallow said.
"To create a winter snow scene that still feels warm and inviting is no small achievement, but Sheila manages it with remarkable confidence."
