Dorothy Lightfoot (1909-2002) St Osyth The Tide Mill

DOROTHY LIGHTFOOT (1909-2002)
St Osyth The Tide Mill - oil on board, signed, 29.5 x 40cm - a very well observed maritime scene by a fabulous artist.

Dorothy Edith Amelia Lightfoot was born at Broadstairs, Kent on 5 August 1909, only child of Frederick Lightfoot (12 September 1870-1942), a blind piano tuner, and his wife Edith Emily née Barton (1875-1927), who married at St John's Parish Church, Margate on 28 March 1908. In 1911, Dorothy was a 1-year-old, living at 5 Stanley Place, Broadstairs with her parents, 40-year-old Frederick and 35-year-old Edith who died in 1927, leaving Dorothy to care for her blind father. A benefactor, who recognised her drawing talent, enabled her to train at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, her teachers included William Roberts (1895-1980), Noel Rooke (1881-1953) and Clarke Hutton (1898-1984). In 1939, Dorothy was a commercial artist, living at The Bungalow, Blean, Kent with a companion and contributed to the Second World War effort by supervising groups of Land Army girls after which she moved to Suffolk and worked for the Post Office as a draughtsman and designer. At this time, when her painting output was at its height, she held many exhibitions in Ipswich and she later turned to watercolours, taking the landscape and architecture of Suffolk as her inspiration. Best known for her oil paintings of Stour barges, and landscapes of Suffolk, her subject matter is reminiscent of the late 18th century, and the style could easily be exemplary of the Norwich School. She exhibited in mixed shows at the East Kent Art Society; Frinton Galleries, Station Road, Clacton-on-sea, Essex and solo shows at Haste Gallery 1976-1980, in Ipswich. In retirement she moved to Chichester where she continued to paint, draw, and exhibit until her health failed. Dorothy Edith Amelia Lightfoot died on 26 November 2002, aged 93, she was unmarried.