Final sale celebrates Wooler artist’s legacy
High Street display and artworks sale promotes late “modest” artist. Tony Henderson reports
An exhibition of work by a prolific Northumberland artist will conclude tonight (July 3) with an auction of 100 of her paintings.
The display of artworks by Joyce Tully, who lived in Wooler, has been running at the town’s No6 Gallery in High Street.
This evening, there will be a final gathering at the gallery followed by the sale by local auctioneer Jim Railton at 7.30pm.
Joyce Tully was born in 1933 and died in 2023, and many of her works featured Northumbrian scenes.
“Joyce lived modestly in Northumberland, though her talent was widely recognised beyond the region,” said a gallery spokesperson.
Jim Railton, whose auction house is based in Wooler, said: “She kept a low, modest profile, and we probably never fully appreciated that we had such an artist in our midst.
“The sale collection includes a wide cross-section of her works in oils, watercolours, pastels and pencil, with a lot of local identifiable views.”
Painter, calligrapher and art teacher Joyce was born in Wooler and attended The Duchess’s School in Alnwick.
She studied at Sunderland Teachers Training College and then Hammersmith College of Art in London. She returned to Wooler in 1979.
“She was very much part of the Chelsea Arts Set and exhibited widely, including the Paris Salon, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Ridley Society, the Mall Galleries, the Royal Society of Artists and in Australia,” added Jim.
“Her work is in many private collections in Britain, Europe and the United States, and her paintings were chosen to be part of several travelling overseas exhibitions.
“We hope the exhibition has promoted Joyce as an artist who should be better known and appreciated.”