Biography

Born in 1920 in Edinburgh to a military family. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Little Horkesley, near Colchester. In 1936, while she was at finishing school in Brussels, Joan was introduced to Oswald Poreau (1), a significant painter on the continent at that time, who inspired her to think about following a career in art. On moving back to England, she enrolled as one of the earliest students with the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. The school had been established in Dedham in 1937 by Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines. The school studio was based in the village whilst Cedric and Lett lived at Pound Farm, in nearby Higham. Joan continued as a student after the Dedham building burnt down and the school relocated to Benton End, Hadleigh.

Nicknames were frequently applied to members of the Benton End fraternity, Joan being no exception. Lett saw her leaning out of a bedroom window one day and started singing “Come into the garden Maud”, after which she was always known as “Maudie”.

At the outbreak of WWII, Joan joined the WRENS for a period until being discharged on medical grounds. Some factory work followed after which she moved on to being a driver for the Red Cross Ambulance Service, during which time she met and married the ceramicist Peter O’Malley (2). Post-war, the couple lived in London, enabling Peter to follow his teaching career at the Royal College of Art, and where Joan could maintain a lively association with contemporary artists including Freddie Gore (3), Robert Buhler (4) and Robin Darwin (5). In 1938, much to her distaste, Joan had been presented as a debutante and henceforth decided to live the “bohemian” life. Joan continued to develop her painting skills by depicting her London surroundings and by visits to museums and also trips abroad to places such as Aix-en-Provence. She gave up the practice of painting in oils as she thought it aggravated her persistent back pain and instead concentrated on using watercolour and pastel. Some of her work from this period was used to illustrate the cookery writings of her friend Elizabeth David. On Peter’s retirement in 1969, they moved to the White House in Stoke-by-Nayland where they both continued their artistic lives while keeping in close contact with Benton End.

Joan drew inspiration from many sources, from city and country scenes to natural objects such as rocks, minerals and plants (particularly cacti and succulents).

Mixed exhibitions included the Women’s International Art Club; Foyles Galleries, London; the Leicester Gallery and the Michael Parkin Gallery. She had work accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions on seven occasions and showed regularly with Colchester Art Society. There were also many successful solo shows.

Statement

As a teenager, Joan said you could not tell the difference between her drawings and those of her friend Lucian Freud, both sketched freely and produced portraits of people and animals. Both acknowledged their debt to Cedric Morris and his East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing – watching (and emulating) him paint rapidly from top left to bottom right, almost knitting on the canvas without drafting and with a surety of intent.  Joan took to oils in the 1940s with a run of 7 years showing at the Royal Academy but thereafter it is her constant reinvention that defies artistic categorisation in terms of either subject or mediums.  Watercolour, pastel, gouache, pen, ink and wash, even Crayola were used to create the pictures that both followed in the footsteps of an artist-plantsman Morris but also created a surrealist world of unworldly scenes and creatures.  It is this uniqueness and individuality that comes across in vivid paintings, a life-affirming display with a hint of cheekiness too.

From her journals it is clear that all ‘Maudie’ wanted to do when she woke up in the morning was to paint and draw – something she continued to do until the end of her life.

Rubio was Cedric’s pet macaw, also immortalised by Bernard Reynolds’ Parrot head (CAS S2) (q.v.).

(1) Oswald Poreau (1877-1955). Distinguished Belgian painter of luminous, impressionistic landscapes, figures and still lifes.

(2) Peter O’Malley (1917-1994). Ceramics lecturer at the Royal College of Art. Joan and Peter had one son, Liam, known as ‘Twig’.

(3) Frederick Gore CBE, RA (1913-2009). Son of the painter Spencer Gore 1878-1914.

(4) Robert Buhler RA (1916-1989). Born in London, British/Swiss nationality, early exhibitor with CAS.

(5) Robert Darwin CBE, RA, RSA (1910-1974), known as Robin, principal, then Rector and Vice-Provost of the Royal College of Art. Great-grandson of Charles Darwin.