Watercolours by Judith Ackland

Judith Ackland’s Watercolours

An accomplished watercolourist, Judith Ackland’s watercolours, comprising mainly of landscapes, were shown during several Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions between 1927 and 1932. But a greater majority of her work was exhibited either locally or in her later life. Her watercolours show a very delicate and precise touch creating a beautiful translucent and often ethereal quality to her landscapes.

A lifetime member and periodic chairwoman of the Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society, Judith would often break up her time at Bucks Mills during the summer to help arrange, hang and invigilate the annual exhibition. Her work was frequently sold from these exhibitions and was repeatedly mentioned in the North Devon Journal or Gazette.

Though Judith accompanied Mary Stella Edwards on sketching tours and painted extensively during their visits to North Wales and the Lake District, much of her work reflected her love and familiarity with the North Devon landscape. Judith used her valuable free time away from home to paint along the coastline from Bucks, painting views of Clovelly, West Bucks Sands and the village itself. Judith often appears in Mary Stella’s diaries, busy at work on a piece;

“Took tea to the Comic view & I carried on drawing further, while J did more work on her colour sketch – this before tea. After tea I got the paper half covered & J went to the Round Hill to go on with summits & trees making her way from the stile through the wood. The evening light is particularly rich & marvellous. There is another picture to be done up there.”

A diary Extract from 20th May 1940

A selection of Judith Ackland’s watercolours:

Watercolour of rocks and sand with cliffs in the background
Watercolour looking at the view from high up over Bucks Mills
Judith Ackland's watercolour of a woman sat on the rocks at Bucks Mills
Judith Ackland's watercolour of a variety of seashells
Watercolour of the view looking down over ~~Bucks Mills and the road leading up through the woods
Judith Ackland's watercolour of a variety of seashells
Watercolour of the edge of the cliff by the beach
watercolour of the edge of the shoreline looking towards the steps and the cliffs
Watercolour of a silver teapot sat on a book with dried flowers
Watercolour of an autumnal day with trees on edge of cliff face
Judith Ackland's watercolour of Bucks Mills
Watercolour of the waves rolling in from the sea
Watrcolour of the scraggy land at the edge of the sea shore
Judith Ackland's watercolour of North Devon countryside
Watercolour of countyside fields with a river and bridge over
Judith Ackland's watercolour of the North Devon landscape
Watercolour of bluebells in woodland
Watercolour of bluebells in woodland
Judith Ackland's watercolour of a woman
Watercolour of the rough road leading down to the sea
Watercolour of a woman sat on a chair reading a book
watercolour of a stone wall at the borrom of the cliffs at the shoreline
Judith Ackland's watercolour of woodland
Judith Ackland's watercolour of North Devon coastline viewed through the hills
Watercolour of trees on the edge of woodland
Judith Ackland's watercolour of woman sat in a field
Watercolour of the view looking down the cliff to the sea
Mary Stella Edwards painting of the headland