Kathleen Fox facts for kids

Kathleen Fox (born September 12, 1880 – died August 17, 1963) was a talented Irish artist. She was known for her paintings, her work with enamel, and her beautiful stained-glass creations.

Life Story of Kathleen Fox

Kathleen Fox was born in Glenageary, County Dublin, on September 12, 1880. Her father was Captain Henry Charles Fox, a soldier. Her mother was Mary Rebecca Colclough.

Kathleen went to the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. There, she studied under a famous artist named William Orpen. She was so good that she even became Orpen's assistant.

In 1917, while in London, Kathleen married Cyril Pym, a British army officer. Sadly, Cyril was killed in action in 1918. Their daughter was born later that same year. In 1947, Kathleen moved into her family home in Milltown, Dublin. She lived there until she passed away on August 17, 1963.

Early Art Adventures

Kathleen learned how to work with enamel from Oswald Reeves. Enamel is a special type of glass that is melted onto metal. She made an enamelled cup called Going to the feast. For this, she won a gold medal in a British competition in 1908. The cup was later shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was also displayed at the 1924 Tailteann Games exhibition in Dublin.

In 1909, Kathleen won another national prize for Music. This was an enamelled copper plaque. She also worked with stained glass under Alfred E. Child. Her 1909 stained-glass window, showing St. Tobias, is in St. Joseph's church in Glenageary. It is a memorial for a family.

Kathleen worked during a time called the Celtic Revival. This movement focused on traditional Irish crafts and designs. She was also influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Some of her pieces, like Shaving mirror with pendant on stand (1910), show the Art Nouveau style. Before World War I, Kathleen spent time studying art in London and Paris.

During the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Kathleen bravely traveled there to paint the events. This earned her the nickname "little rebel" from her fellow students. One of her most famous paintings from this time is The arrest 1916, the Royal College of Surgeons. It shows the surrender of Constance Markievicz. This painting is now in The Niland Collection in The Model, Sligo. Around this time, she also painted a portrait of her friend Grace Gifford.

From 1911 to 1923, and again from 1944 to 1957, Kathleen showed 81 of her artworks at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). In 1911, she submitted a piece called Science and Power. It showed her friend, sculptor Albert Power, working on a sculpture for a new college. She later gave a version of this painting to the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin.

Later Artworks and Achievements

In the 1920s, Kathleen started focusing on oil painting. She became well-known for her portraits. A portrait she painted of Lady Rosamund Gallwey-Robertson in 1921 was highly praised. It was shown alongside works by famous artists like Orpen and John Lavery in London. That same year, Kathleen also exhibited a portrait of Archbishop Mannix at the Royal Academy.

Her art was displayed in many places in London. These included the New English Art Club, the Society of Women Artists, and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. Sometimes, her pieces were also shown at the Royal Scottish Academy and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. In 1930, one of her enamel plaques was featured in an exhibition of Irish art in Brussels. Some of her paintings were also shown at Oireachtas exhibitions in Dublin.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Kathleen became known for her paintings of interiors and flowers. Examples of these were shown at the Dawson gallery in 1946. In the early 1950s, she created the Stations of the Cross in oils. These were for the Jesuit House of Studies in Milltown Park, Dublin. Her work was also part of an exhibition of Irish art in Aberystwyth, Wales, in 1953.

Throughout her career, Kathleen Fox worked with many different materials. She painted on china, carved wood, worked with silver, and even designed costumes.