Cherith McKinstry facts for kids

Cherith McKinstry (born March 4, 1928 – died October 2004) was an important Irish artist. She was known for her amazing paintings and sculptures.

Early Life and Education

Cherith Boyd was born in Powick, England. Her mother was a nurse, and her father was a doctor. Cherith was the middle of three sisters. When she was three years old, her family moved to Ulster in Northern Ireland because her father got a new job.

Cherith was taught at home until she was ten. Then, she and her older sister went to a boarding school called Ashleigh House in Belfast. At school, she became friends with Florence McKinstry. Cherith later married Florence's brother, Robert.

In 1939, Cherith's father passed away. Her mother then became a matron (a senior nurse) at Ashleigh House. When World War II started, the students were moved to Learmount Castle. While there, Cherith got polio, an illness that affected how she walked for the rest of her life.

Cherith's art teacher, Romilly Seymour, suggested she study art. So, Cherith went to the Belfast School of Art. There, she met other artists like Basil Blackshaw and T.P. Flanagan. She stayed friends with Basil Blackshaw for her whole life. Cherith even dated Basil in the early 1950s, and he painted her portrait in 1958. She studied under a teacher named Romeo Toogood from 1950 to 1953.

In 1951, Cherith won a prize for being the best painting and drawing student. In 1954, she was the first woman to receive a special scholarship worth £75. She used this money to travel and study art in Italy and France. Cherith was especially interested in old Italian sculptors and how they influenced modern art.

Artistic Journey

Cherith McKinstry's first artworks were sculptures. This often showed in her paintings from the 1960s, which featured people and figures. Her early paintings sometimes showed feelings of sadness or strength, often linked to Christian ideas. Later, her art became more abstract, meaning it didn't always show clear objects or people. She was influenced by Dublin painters like Patrick Pye and Charles Brady.

Cherith had her first solo art show in Belfast in 1962. After taking four years off to raise her three sons, she held another solo exhibition in Belfast in 1967.

Cherith McKinstry also worked on several large art projects. These included the Stations of the Cross for St. McNissi Church in Magherahoney in 1968. She also created a large painting called Students for the main staircase at Queen's University Belfast in 1986.

Her biggest works were six large canvas panels for the ceiling of the Grand Opera House, Belfast. These were part of a renovation project led by her husband in 1979. The two largest panels were huge, measuring 12 feet by 6 feet! To make them, the McKinstrys cleared out their living room for about a year. Her friend Basil Blackshaw even helped her stretch the canvases. Before they were installed, the paintings were shown at the Ulster Museum.

In 1975, Cherith showed a portrait of the Olympic athlete Mary Peters. She also had solo shows at the Octogon Gallery in 1974 and the Kays Gallery in Derry in 1977.

Exhibitions and Recognition

In 1980, Cherith McKinstry showed new works with Charles Brady at the Keys Gallery in Derry. They returned to exhibit there again three years later. In 1983, Cherith received a £5000 award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to help with her living costs.

Cherith often showed her art at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, starting in 1961. She also exhibited with the Figurative Art Group and, throughout the 1990s, with the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 1987, she received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Queen's University.

From 1973 onwards, Cherith was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts annual shows. She became an Associate member of the Academy in 1981. The Ulster Museum held a solo exhibition of her work in 1980. Another solo show took place at the Gordon Gallery in Derry in 1991. In the summer of 1989, the Narrow Water Gallery hosted a joint exhibition of her work with Basil Blackshaw.

Legacy

Cherith McKinstry passed away in October 2004. She was survived by her husband, Robert, and her three sons: Simon, Leo, and Jason. In 2006, a special exhibition of her work was held at Jorgensen Fine Art in Dublin.

You can see Cherith McKinstry's artworks in many public and private collections. These include the Ulster Museum, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Queen's University Belfast, the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, and the Northern Ireland Civil Service.