La cabaña de las artistas Judith Ackland y Mary Stella Edwards

Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland

Mary Stella Edwards 

Judith Ackland 

'I broached the idea of making Bideford our sketching centre this spring for the paintable and selling qualities of Devon; the factor of being able to work in the studio in between and return to places when we wanted; the lack of struggle against weather;, and of time and money running away while waiting for bad weather to end; the contrast it will be to the Lakes and so on. J. agrees with me that there should be no coast scenes of the usual type, save some at Boscastle and Tintagel if we get there, which gives the interesting effect of looking from headland inland across cliffs to distant hills. The horizon should be hills, not water...but the spring light on the high land is what we're really after. I have a number of subjects in mind, not done before.'

(From the diaries of Mary Stella Edwards, 22 January 1935) 

Buck's Mills - house of Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland, artists, on the right

Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards

Judith Ackland (1889-1971) and Mary Stella Edwards (1893-1989) met as students at The Regent Street Polytechnic where they both studied art. They used the tiny Cabin at Bucks Mills as their studio from the 1920s until Judith's death, a period of nearly 50 years.

They lived and worked here in the summers, painting watercolours of the beach, the coastal landscapes and the village. They also produced dioramas: collaborative work where Judith made all the models, and Mary Stella painted their backdrops.

When they closed the door of their Cabin for the final time, it remained ready for them to return - and it stands preserved almost as they left it over 40 years ago.

Rooms

Some doors open on a thickly-peopled air

Of moving shadows, those whose lives, long gone,

Were spent there....

Some on a waiting silence - of expectancy

For those to come; some to the musty smell

Of mere desuetude; and some in constancy

To the long loving years of sweet content

In which the light of sun and moon have blent

In lasting light that bids all dark farewell -

Of such will this room tell.

Mary Stella Edwards, 1962. 

Mary Stella Edwards by Judith Ackland

'Judith Ackland at Work in the Cabin', Mary Stella Edwards, 1953 

The Ackland and Edwards Collection

The Ackland and Edwards Collection consists of watercolours, drawings, and dioramas of local topographical or historical interest, produced by Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards between 1913 – 1965 and was presented to the Burton Art Gallery and Museum by Mary Stella Edwards.

Judith Ackland was born in Bideford and attended the town’s art school for several years before going to London, where she met fellow student Mary Stella Edwards at the Regent Street Polytechnic. This began a partnership only halted by Ackland’s death in 1971.

Although much of Acklands and Edwards work was produced in the surrounding coast and countryside of Bideford, they also travelled and worked widely. The result being that their works are included in several major collections across the country including; the Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of London, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendall and the National Museum of Wales.

In 1945 Ackland devised a new form of model making, and registered it under the name of ‘Jackanda’. Using cotton wool as the base material for her models she produced figures and scenes which have the clarity of carvings and which possess such vitality that in photographs they are often mistaken for real people.

Bideford remained one of the artist’s homes, and they often spent time at Bucks Mill in The Cabin, which they used as a studio and base. Now owned by the National Trust, the Cabin remains a faithful monument to their collaboration and a testament to the landscape, which inspired the production of such a renowned body of work.

In writing this for the gallery website, the Burton Art Gallery and Museum acknowledges the essay by Peter Richey, first produced as part of an exhibition catalogue commemorating the first presentation of the Acklands and Edwards Collection at the gallery. A new publication produced by the Acklands and Edwards Trust to coincide with the purchase of The Cabin by The National Trust will be available from the gallery by the end of 2009.

The little things - Bucks Mills Cabin

A big thank you to Sammy and Glenn of pachadesign for inviting me to be part of their exciting exhibition which opens next weekend at Bucks Mills Cabin in the charming village of Bucks Mills on the North Devon Coast!

This tiny house, 'The Cabin' was the summer home of artists Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards from the 1920's to the 1970's, and it's still an evocative time capsule of their lives together. Left exactly as it was in the 1970's, today it is owned and preserved by the National Trust (read their blog post about the exhibition here)

"The project with pachadesign, Sam Pickard and Ramp is a great way to bring the cabin to life in 2011. Involving local artists who are also inspired by the same coastline as Judith and Mary, 'A Modern Take' exhibition is the perfect opportunity to open the doors of the cabin to the general public and get people talking about contemporary craft and design, in a setting which is lost in a different era." - Hannah Jefferson from The National Trust.

Each designer taking part will select a few of the objects from the cabin and replace them with pieces of their own work, pachadesign (furniture), Ramp (Ceramics) and Sam Pickard (textiles). Here's a few images from the interior and exterior of the cabin, (prior to any objects being replaced!)...

Investigating the spirit of place

Intervention at the National Trust property Bucks Mills Cabin.
Bucks Mills Cabin © pachadesign 2011

July 21, 2011

Bucks Mills Cabin © pachadesign 2011

© pachadesign 2011

© pachadesign 2011

The Cabin was owned by artists Judith Ackland (1889-1971) and Mary Stella Edwards (1893-1989). They stayed and worked there during the summer months between the 1920s and Judith’s death in 1971.

© pachadesign 2011

© pachadesign 2011

An artists' retreat

(...) The Cabin, where the artists Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland spent their summers painting. Some of their work can be seen at the Burton Art gallery in Bideford. The cottage now belongs to the National Trust and it is still used an an artist’s retreat, being gloriously situated on the cliff with beach and sea views, and with Clovelly in the distance. (...)

The Baskets Under The Bed from Kate Paxman on Vimeo.

This film was made in response to time spent as the first artist-in-residence at Bucks Mills Cabin, Devon.

The Cabin had been owned by painters Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards from the 1920s until Judith's death in 1971, and the building and its contents remain preserved almost as the women left them. This residency, the first to take place at The Cabin, was a partnership project between the National Trust and Appledore Arts, and was funded by the North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

I Dream from Kate Paxman on Vimeo.

Film installation made for Bucks Mills Cabin, Devon. 

Perched above the sea at the edge of the tiny fishing hamlet of Bucks Mills, The Cabin was the studio and summer residence of painters Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards from the 1920s until Judith's death in 1971. The interior and its contents have remained preserved, almost as the women left them, for 40 years. It is now owned by the National Trust and, in partnership with Appledore Arts, they hosted this first artist's residency at The Cabin in May 2010.

http://ukrobertslack.blogspot.com.es/2010/05/15-may-2010-walk-clovelly-to-bucks.html

http://sampickarddesign.blogspot.com.es/2011/07/little-things-bucks-mills-cabin.html

http://pencilsandpaint.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/an-artists-retreat/

http://www.burtonartgallery.co.uk/index.php/collections

http://www.christianoreilly.com/bucks-mills-cabin

http://nttreasurehunt.wordpress.com/page/12/

http://bucksmillscabin.blogspot.com.es/