Olive Bagshaw 1931-2017

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Portraits

In the first stages of Olive's development as a portrait painter, she was hugely keen to practise and to improve. Consequently she needed a range of models to pose for her.

4. 1960 (Nicole) (Collection Mrs N Shelton)

The first portrait in this collection was painted well before the other paintings featured below. It is a straight on full face pose, largely two dimensional. It shows a concentration on facial features and while it captures character, the features do not blend naturally. The artist's confidence with a range of poses was to grow swiftly and her technique to deepen perspective likewise. Sound oil painting technique and subtle use of colour were already in evidence. These would become more and more instinctive and free as Olive explored her full capability. With her early portraiture skills, Olive nonetheless creates a striking portrait.

We know that Olive painted three members of the cast of the Granada Television soap opera Coronation Street. Pat Phoenix, Doreen Keogh and Ivan Beavis were painted in 1962/63. This was at the studio address of church architect Edward Blackwell at 10a Plymouth Grove West, Manchester. I have not found images of these early portraits.

A more natural formal portrait with the sitter's head positioned at a slight angle, painted in 1965, reveals major developments in Olive's technique some five years after the 1960 portrait above (4). This portrait of Dorothy Heap (5) was donated to Touchstones, Rochdale.

5. Dorothy Heap 1965 Touchstones Rochdale 

In 1966, a portrait of a young woman (below) shows a much more assured, freer style with the technique creating a more three dimensional effect of the subject's face. Olive used to paint directly from the sitter without sketches, drawings or photographs and though she aimed for a likeness, she was always seeking to capture the sitter's personality and their character. This young woman (6) was also painted later (see number 15)

6. Gillian c1966 (Collection Mrs G Barry)

Olive explored a range of different poses when painting her subjects .

7.  Full length Portrait of Rita with cat (Ling) c1967   

                       

    

                              

8.Thomas Jolliffe 1967  

   

9. Portait of a Woman c1967 

    

10. Portrait - A Woman

                                                                           

Overall, the style is becoming freer and the poses and composition more adventurous.The portrait restricted to a woman's head above (10) is another development.

 

 11. Dolly c 1967

The portrait of Dolly above shows great confidence in the use of colour and free brushstrokes.

                                              

There follows a number of portraits from 1967 onwards. Dates, many approximate, have been added where possible. Variations in poses are again evident.                                              

           

  

             

  12. Portrait of an Artist c 1967

                                                            

13.  Dolly c 1967 

14. Young Woman seated near a Window c 1967

                                  

The portrait of the Young Woman seated Near a Window (14) above uses the silhouette approach which the artist deploys from time to time throughout her portaiture works. In this case, it achieves an effect of great sensitivity.

15. Gillian c1967 (Collection Mrs G Barry)

16. Artist's Husband, Greg c1967

17. Greg, Artist's husband 1968

This portrait of Greg is a much less formal painting than the previous one.

18. Dolly 1969

The portrait above of Dolly (18) was painted two years later (1969) than 13 above and is a deeper study of her character. Olive often experimented with different costumes.

19  Jacqueline c 1969 Salford Museum and Art Gallery

19a. Almost certainly the same sitter as 19 

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20. Cyrilla Jolliffe catalogued as Mrs R Jolliffe 1970 (Collection Mrs N Shelton)

21. Paul 1970  (Collection Mrs N Shelton)

22. Jenny 1970 

Olive originally studied textiles at the Salford School of Art and her appreciation of textures in materials shows in studies which she painted of fabrics, in interior furniture and in costumes worn by her models. The Mandarin Jacket is a notable example. Similarly, the matador's costume, (modelled by Greg) is a study of a material as well as a portrait. Olive enjoyed exploring fabrics within her portrait genre.

   

23. The Mandarin Jacket 1970 

(Thomas)

24. The Mandarin Jacket, 1970

 25. The Matadors' Costume (Greg)

This painting my be a reference to Harry Rutherford's 'The Matador', 'Souvenir a Juan Belmonte'.

Freer painting technique and intense depiction of character in models featured more strongly in Olive's later portraits such as 26 below which is tightly framed, striking and luminous.

26. Portrait of a Woman 1971

27. Portrait of a Man 1971

28. Portrait of a Young Man 1971

Olive's husband, Greg, met Albert (below) by chance, who agreed to sit for Olive. See Appendix 3 below. She painted Albert a number of times. Ten of these studies were exhibited in her Salford Art Gallery exhibitions (Dec 1971- Jan 1972).  It is notable that Olive's style became much freer and more confident in comparison with her early work.

Albert Series , c 1968

29. Albert

30. Albert

31. Albert

              

                 

32. Albert

33. Albert

 

34. Albert

35 Albert 

36. Old Man Reading 

37. Albert

               Two sketch portraits of the artist and her husband below are of uncertain date.

  

   38.    Self Portrait c1975

39. Greg Artist's Husband

Additional portraits of an unknown date

 

 40.  A gentleman from Bolton

 

41. Retired Nurse from Manchester

 

42. Young Woman sitting in a Chair

Later Portrait

78. Sue Williams 1983 (K and S Williams Collection) A rare late portrait, a friend of the artist.

Copyright 

Images

I have sought to record image copyright where I have been able to find it. Please let me know if you own copyright on images which is not credited. I shall be happy to record it or remove the image if you wish.

Artist's Copyright

Please note: To date, I have not been able to establish who holds Artist's Copyright for Olive Bagshaw's works reproduced in this blog. Currently, the provisions of Non Commercial Use are intended to apply. This blog is not monetized and its purpose is informational. Please let me know if you have any information about the artist's copyright. Contact details are to be found at the end of this blogpost.