THORNTON, Valerie

1931 - 1991

Valerie Genestra Marion Thornton, was born in London on 13 April 1931, daughter of Nigel Heber Thornton (26 January 1895-8 December 1942), manager for Shell Oil Asiatic Co., and his wife Margaret Marion Genestra Gault (10 June 1905-1 October 1997), only daughter of Leslie Hamilton Gault, who married at St Peter's Church, Eton Square, London on 23 October 1929 and in 1939 they were living at Michen Hall, Shackleford, Guildford, Surrey. Initially, Valerie attended Elinor Birley’s (1904-1992) Primary School, Charterhouse before, with her two brothers, being evacuated to Montreal, Canada during the war years. She returned to London in 1944 to continue her education at West Heath School, Sevenoaks and began art school training at the Byam Shaw School of Art in 1949, later qualifying at Regent Street Polytechnic 1950-1953, under Patrick Millard (1902-1977). After receiving one of Winifred Nicholson's (1881-1952) paintings as a 21st birthday present, she became attracted to Nicholson's work and began her long love affair with architecture, equally influential was Stanley William Hayter’s (1901-1988) film about the revolutionary etching work being done at his Atelier 17 Workshop in Paris, which led her to undertake an eight-month residency with Hayter in 1954 and on her return to England, she purchased her first etching press. After a six-week grand tour of Italy in 1955, studying and drawing, she succeeded Howard Hodgkin (Sir Gordon Howard Eliott Hodgkin 1932-2017) as Assistant Art Teacher at Charterhouse School. Valerie also began her long association with Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Benton End, Hadleigh, Suffolk. There she met Rosemary Rutherford, the stained-glass artist, whom she later accompanied on many subsequent trips to Paris. Sales of her work supported her during a ten-month residency at the Pratt Graphic Art Centre Workshop in New York and funded a study trip to Mexico. In 1965, a founder member of the newly formed Printmakers’ Council and received an invitation to visit Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981), which became the start of an enduring friendship. She married in London in 1966, Michael Chase and after Chase had been appointed curator, moved to the Minories at Colchester, Essex. In 1969, elected an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers and the following year elected a fellow, and began exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. In 1974, Thornton and her husband settled at Lower Common Farmhouse, Chelsworth, Suffolk where Valerie Genestra Marion Chase died on 23 March 1991. An internationally recognised, Suffolk-based etcher and printmaker, but was also an oil landscape and interior artist and a founder member of the Suffolk Group of Artists her exhibitions include Minories, Colchester; Bear Lane Gallery; Oxford Print Club; Zwemmer Gallery, London; Old Fire Engine House Gallery, Ely; Bruton Street Gallery, London; Gilbert Parr Gallery, London; Albemarle Gallery, London and the Redfern Gallery, London. She also exhibited at the Ipswich Art Society from Lower Common Farmhouse, Chelsworth in 1990, two paintings 'Warehouse on the Ouse' and 'Warehouse, York'. Her prints were published by Paul Cornwall-Jones of Editions Alecto.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from The Minories, 74 High Street, Colchester
1968 837 Lavenham – etching
         841 Lincoln Faηade – etching
1969 644 The Arne at Florence – colourprint
         646 Granary – colourprint
         884 Binham Abbey - etching
1970 869 San Miniator – etching
         871 Lancing College Chapel – etching
         877 Divinity Schools, Oxford – etching
1971 803 Roman Pots – etching
         838 Greek Pots – etching
         838 The Geffrye Museum – etching
1972 1021 Northreach – etching
         1025 Beaulieu – etching
         1027 Tremolκt – etching
1973 285 Amboise – etching
         775 Leiston – etching
         783 St Amand de Coly – etching
from Lower Common Farmhouse, Chelsworth, Suffolk
1974 700 Priors Door – etching
         702 Maryport – etching
         728 Corne-Royal – etching
1975 785 Clare -etching
         1125 St Ives – etching
         1128 Cley – etching
1976 1230 Montmajour – etching
         1248 Arles – etching
         1261 Gilles – etching
1977 800 Saint Domingo de Silos – etching
         1397 Cley Hall Farm – etching
         1438 Rooftops Estella – etching
1978 796 Cloister, Santo Domingo de Silos – etching
         802 King David and his Musicians, Ripoll – etching
         1082 Mosaic - etching
1979 925 Casserres – etching.
         933 Ely Cathedral - etching
         937 San Pedro de la Rua - etching
1980 163 Barfreston – etching
         250 Cloister, Arles – etching
1981 1350 Wiveton – etching
         1354 Nedging – etching
1982 941 Lincoln Arcadia – etching
         958 Walsham le Willows – etching
         968 Sos del Rey Calolica – etching
1983 831 Aachen Interior – etching
         842 Sanguesa – etching
1984 1752 Puntenay Bridge, Bath – etching
         1753 Atlantes, Aulnay – etching
1985 1469 S Euphemia, Spoletto – etching
         1472 Southwold – etching
1986 1387 Aibar – etching
         1523 Kersey – etching
         1549 Woolpit - etching
1987 1288 Bridge at Vendτme – etching.
         1291 Tewkesbury Interior - etching
1988 1233 Urbino – Etching
1990 198 Living in Harmony, St Hilaire, Poitiers- etching
the late
1991 257 St Benoit – etching
         258 St Benoit sur Loire – etching
         263 L'Estany – etching

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Works by This Artist