Dod Procter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dod Procter RA
Self portrait, 1937
Born	Doris Margaret Shaw 21 April 1890 Hampstead, London, England
Died	31 July 1972 Redruth, Cornwall, England
Nationality	English
Education	Forbes School, Atelier Colarossi
Known for	Painting
Spouse(s)	Ernest Procter
Elected	President of St Ives Society of Artists (STISA)

Dod Procter, whose real name was Doris Margaret Shaw (1890–1972), was a famous English artist. She was married to another artist, Ernest Procter. Dod Procter is best known for her painting called Morning. This painting was so popular that the Daily Mail newspaper bought it in 1927 for the public to enjoy.

Dod and Ernest Procter studied art together in England and Paris. They were both inspired by art styles like Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Sometimes they even worked on art projects together. Dod Procter continued to paint for her whole life, even after her husband passed away in 1935.

After Ernest's death, Dod Procter traveled a lot. She visited places like the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and Africa. She passed away in 1972 and is buried next to her husband in St Hilary Church, Cornwall. She was part of many art groups, including the Newlyn School. She even became the President of the St Ives Society of Artists (STISA) in 1966. Her artwork was shown many times at the important Royal Academy.

Biography

Early Life and Art School

Doris "Dod" Shaw was born in Hampstead, London, in 1890. Her father was a doctor on a ship. Her mother had also studied art at the Slade School of Fine Art. When Dod was young, her family moved to Tavistock in Devon.

After her father died, Dod's mother moved the family to Newlyn in 1907. Dod was 15 years old when she started at the School of Painting there. This school was run by Elizabeth Forbes and Stanhope Forbes. At the Forbes school, Dod met her future husband, Ernest Procter. They were considered the best students there. In Newlyn, Dod also met Laura Knight, who became a close friend and a big influence on her art.

In 1910, Dod and her mother went to Paris. Dod studied art at the Atelier Colarossi with Ernest Procter. In Paris, they were both inspired by Impressionism and Post-impressionism. They also met famous artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne.

Dod and Ernest got married in 1912 in Cornwall. A year later, their son Bill was born. The family made their home in North Corner, Cornwall. In 1913, Dod Procter showed her art at the Royal Academy of Art for the first time.

During World War I, Ernest served in France. He worked with a group called the Friends' Ambulance Unit. Dod missed him very much during this time. After the war, the couple lived in Newlyn for most of their lives.

Painting in the 1920s

In 1920, Dod and Ernest Procter received a special job. A rich Chinese millionaire, Ching Tsong, asked them to decorate his palace in Rangoon. This job took a whole year. They worked with local artists from Burma, India, and China. They often painted large pictures on the walls, called murals, very high up in the palace.

However, Ching Tsong was not happy with their work and didn't pay them. So, the Procters painted portraits of local people and British officials to earn money. They also designed patterns for glass.

Dod Procter; Morning. This painting was bought for the nation by the Daily Mail in 1927.

When she returned to England, Dod Procter started to focus on painting portraits. She usually painted young women. Throughout the 1920s, she painted single female figures in soft, flowing clothes. From about 1922, she created many large, simple paintings of young women she knew. She used light and shadow to make the figures look solid and real.

Paintings like The Back Bedroom (1926) and Girl on White (1923) were strong and detailed portraits. The Model, which showed a young woman deep in thought, was considered one of the best paintings at the Royal Academy in 1925. The model for this painting was Cissie Barnes, a 16-year-old daughter of a Newlyn fisherman. Cissie also posed for Dod Procter's most famous painting, Morning, every day for five weeks.

When Morning was shown at the 1927 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, it was voted "Picture of the Year." The Daily Mail bought it for the Tate Gallery, where you can still see it today. Dod Procter sold the painting for £300, but it was worth much more. Before it went to the Tate, Morning was shown in New York and then toured Britain for two years. A smaller version of the painting, called Early Morning, is in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

Both the public and art critics loved Morning. They praised its "sensuous but sombre style," which captured the special "silver light" of west Cornwall. Frank Rutter, an art critic for The Sunday Times, said in 1927 that Morning showed "a new vision of the human figure." He felt it was a new style of portrait painting for the 20th century.

Other women who modeled for Procter included the artist Midge Bruford and Eileen Mayo. Eileen Mayo came to Newlyn to model for Laura Knight and later became an artist herself.

Changes in the 1930s and Later Life

In the 1930s, Dod Procter's painting style changed a lot. Her later works, such as The Orchard (1934) and Kitchen at Myrtle Cottage (1935), still had her careful details and lighting. But they were softer, without the hard lines and solid blocks of color from her earlier work.

In 1933, one of her flower designs won a competition. This competition was run by Cadbury's for chocolate box designs. The winning designs were shown in London.

Sadly, Ernest Procter passed away suddenly in 1935 while traveling. Dod and Ernest had often shown their art together in exhibitions. Dod continued to have her own exhibitions after his death.

In 1938, Procter moved to Zennor, to be closer to her friend, the artist Alethea Garstin. Her paintings then mostly focused on portraits and flowers. Garstin's influence could be seen in Procter's art later in her career. Dod Procter became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1942. In 1945, she drew pictures for a story by Clare Collas called A Penny for the Guy.

Procter traveled to Tenerife in 1938 and again in 1946 with her friend, the artist Jeanne du Maurier. In 1948, she visited Basutoland, and in 1964, she went to Tanganyika. During the 1950s, Procter spent time in Jamaica with Alethea Garstin. There, she mostly painted portraits of children.

Over time, her artwork became less popular, both during her life and after she passed away.

Memberships

Dod Procter was a member of several important art groups:

List of Works

Here are some of Dod Procter's paintings:

• African Head - Painting, Oil on board
• Ancilla with an Orange- Painting, Oil on canvas
• Anemones - 1936, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Aunt Lilla - 1946, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Autumn Flowers - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Blue (Painting of a young girl) -1938, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Boys and Coconuts - 1945, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Mornings - 1929, Painting, Oil on canvas, 30x60cm
• Early Morning, Newlyn - 1926, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Eileen Mayo - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Flowers on a chair - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Gabriel in St. Lucia - Painting, Oil on canvas
• A Girl Asleep - 1925. Painting, Oil on canvas
• Girl in Blue - 1925, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Girl With a Parrot - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Glass - 1935, Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Golden Girl - 1930, Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Innocent - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Jamaican Girl - 1960, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Kitchen at Myrtle Cottage - 1930, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Lilian - 1923, Painting, Oil on canvas, 52x42cm
• Little Sister - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Midge Bruford, The Model - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Nasturtiums - Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Orchard - 1934, Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Pearl Necklace - Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Quiet Hour - 1935, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Self Portrait - Painting, Oil on canvas
• Sketch of Burmese Children - Painting, Oil on canvas
• The Sunday Shirt -1957, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Tolcarne Inn - 1935, Painting, Oil on canvas
• Winter Scene from the Artist’s House, Newlyn - Painting, Oil on canvas

Exhibitions

Dod Procter's artwork was shown in many places:

Museum and Gallery Holdings

You can find Dod Procter's art in these museums and galleries: