UNIQUE ART TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER IN GLASTONBURY FOR CHARITY

PAINTINGS by two established 19th and 20th Century artists – and a specially-commissioned work of Glastonbury Abbey by a former inmate of a female prison – are to be sold in Glastonbury in May in aid of charity.

The sale has been organised by Gail Cornish and husband Raymond, who live nearby, and the majority of the works – 31 – are by Gail's late mother, Joan Wills.

Taking place at Glastonbury Town Hall on Saturday, May 11th, the auction will raise money for three charities:

*The Somerset-based charity PromiseWorks which provides and supports mentors for children and young people.

*Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, founded by Bruce Fogle (the father of broadcaster, writer and adventurer Ben Fogle) and Beatrice Wright to train dogs to alert their deaf owners to key sounds.

*The Michael Varah Memorial Fund, which supports projects aimed at the rehabilitation of prisoners, with specific reference to an arts project at HMP Send women's prison in Surrey. A former inmate at HMP Send, who is now on release, was commissioned to paint the picture of the abbey. It has a reserve price of £100.

Gail said: "This is an important auction of beautiful art raising money for three exceptionally worthy causes. May 11th should be a definite date in the diary for art lovers."

The catalogued values of the oils range from £40-£60, the pastel and pencil sketches from £20-£50. A further 12 pictures, prints and woodcuts are also in the sale; values range from £5-£15.

The most highly valued paintings in the auction are three watercolours of Burmese landscapes by Maung Saya Saung (1898-1952) with a catalogue value on the night of between £500-£800. Similar watercolours sold at auction in 2022 for prices in excess of these amounts.

A member of the Artistes de Francais (Paris Salon), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Vice President of the Society of Women Artists, Joan's work on offer is mainly portraits of dogs of various breeds, still life and/or flowers, three portraits of musicians and one Scottish landscape – mostly painted in oils – along with some sketches in pastel or pencil.

Auctioneer Rachael Boothroyd-Walker, from Cooper and Tanner Salerooms in Frome, said: "I am delighted to be able to assist in the sale of this collection for such wonderful charities. There are some lovely pieces up for sale and with a range of estimates to suit everyone's budget. We have high hopes for the sale and hopefully we will make lots of money for the charities."

Robert Peto, Chair of Promise/Works Board of Trustees, said: "PromiseWorks is delighted to be one of the recipients of the auction of paintings, which will be immensely important in its work with disadvantaged young people in Somerset." 

Sally Varah, Chair of the Michael Varah Memorial Fund, said: "It is a privilege to be associated with this auction of paintings by the late Joan Wills whose position as Vice President of The Society of Women Artists (SWA) has a special resonance for our own work facilitating prisoner rehabilitation through the creative arts, since the SWA has a long history of collaborating with charities to help the under-privileged and vulnerable."

Bruce Fogle MBE, co-founder of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: "You may not have heard of us because we don't spend what we are given on TV ads asking for more money. We spend what you give us on training dogs to help deaf people. That's why we are so grateful to Gail Cornish for organising the auction of her mother's paintings at Glastonbury Town Hall on Saturday, May 11th, to support our charity. I hope to meet you there."

Gail said: "I wanted to highlight and raise money for lesser-known charities. Hearing Dogs is the biggest of the three, but all are deeply personal to me and my family."

Gail added: "Among the projects the Michael Varah Memorial Fund supports is the Our Time art project in Send Women's Prison. This holds a private view of the women's work every year, and the quality of the art is quite remarkable.

"Some of the women who have been released have become professional painters and take commissions, and I am including a painting from one of them."

*Viewing of the paintings will begin at 5pm on Saturday, May 11th with the auction starting at 7pm. For details, contact Gail at : Penwood Farm, Woodlands, BA6 8LH Tel: 01458 850 630 Mob: 07775 897 888

Photo captions:

The completed work of Glastonbury Abbey (measuring 40cm x 60cm) by a former prison inmate