Barbara Wills ARCA – A Centenary Celebration

Barbara Wills (14.10.1923 – 23.10. 2013) studied at Sheffield College of Art for two years from the age of 16, before being awarded a place at the Royal College of Art where she gained a Diploma of Associateship and a fourth-year scholarship. During the 1950s and ‘60s her work was regularly shown at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists.

In 1969 she moved to St Hilary, where she and her husband created a wild garden. She was a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists and exhibited at Newlyn Art Gallery, as well as galleries around Penzance and St Ives.

She was fascinated by sudden changes in weather and light, and usually painted on the spot, often perched on a hedge or cliff path, and working fast to catch fleeting effects before rain. 

Her rigorous training informed her preoccupation with tonal values and the importance of drawing. She always carried a sketchbook, and drew whatever she saw – quick portraits, figures, dogs, anything that appealed to her sense of humour – as well as sketches and notes for paintings.

A small exhibition of Barbara’s work to commemorate the centenary of her birth is on display in the Social History Gallery until 13 January 2024.