`La Creux harbour, Sark
`
Arthur Royce Bradbury (1892-1977) 
A fine watercolour by well known artist Arthur Royce Bradbury depicting a view of La Creux harbour on Sark. Bradbury`s paintings, and particularly of Sark are highly sought after. I`ve handled a few paintings by this artist over the years and I am always amazed by the freshness and vitality in the work. Bradbury had an address on the island in later years and painted extensively in the Channel islands. I think this could be a fairly early work as the crane on the harbour wall disappeared around the late 1930`s. The horse and cart are not an indication of date- as cars are not allowed on Sark! The painting is double line mounted and housed in a 1960`s whitewood frame which gives a nice retro feel. Will look nice in a traditional or contemporary interior.

Arthur Royce Bradbury was born in September 1892 in Preston, Lancashire. He specialised in painting portraits, landscapes and marines on oil, watercolour and pastel. He studied at the St. John’s Wood School of Art before being accepted at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1913 he is recorded as living at Bournemouth, then Parkstone, Dorset in 1915 before finally settling in Poole for many years, also having an address on Sark, in the Channel Islands. Bradbury served as a cadet in Mercantile Marine serving for them on the West African trade route, before taking up art. It was then that he made several voyages on the barquentine ‘Waterwitch’ carrying coal and china clay from Cornish ports. The ‘Waterwitch’ was the last trading square rigger in British service at that time. It was his time at sea which gave Bradbury his love of ships and the sea, which became one of his favourite subjects. He became an Associate of the Royal West of England Academy and exhibited there and widely elsewhere, mostly portraits. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1913 a work titled ‘Iris’ and went on to exhibit fourteen works there. Examples of his work may be seen at the Liverpool and Brighton Public Art Galleries and in the Channel islands, as well as many private collections.

Exhibited: 1906-1948
52 Walker’s Gallery, London
15 Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours
14 Royal Academy
6 Royal Society of British Artists
5 Royal Institute of Oil Painters
1 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Mediumwatercolour  Conditionexcellent unfaded
 Image size11 x 7 inches   Provenancesigned bottom left
 Overall size19 x 15 inches 
Agec1935-45 Price SOLD MARCH 2016