RUSHTON, George Robert

1869 - 1948

George Robert Rushton was born at Hooper Street, Ladywood, Birmingham on 1 January 1869, his birth being registered in the 1st quarter of 1869, eldest child of George Rushton (1846-17 June 1905), an engineer, and his wife Betsey [Elizabeth] née Halford (1847-1915), who married at Aston, Birmingham in 1868. In 1881, young George was a 12-year-old living at 24 Henrietta Street, Birmingham with his parents 35-year-old George and 35-year-old Betsy with two siblings Elizabeth 10 and Albert 8. Young George followed his father into an engineering trade but studied art at Birmingham School of Art in his spare time. In 1891, the family were living at 42 Regent Place, Birmingham when 22 old young George was an ‘artist in stained relief’, his 20-year-old sister Elizabeth an ‘assistant school-mistress’, 13-year-old brother Albert ‘learning the printing trade’ and the youngest, 11-year-old Ada, ‘a scholar’. George married at Gateshead in 1900, Edith Ash (21 March 1872-19 February 1954), they had two daughters Winifred Rushton and Enid Hendry. He received his Art Masters' Teaching Certificates in 1900 and in 1901 an ‘art master in school’, living at Ashfield Terrace, Ryton, Durham with his 29-year-old wife Edith and was art master at Armstrong College Newcastle School of Art, at this early stage was working as stained glass-glass designer also executing large decorative paintings. In 1906 he came to Ipswich as principal of the Ipswich School of Art succeeding William Thompson Griffiths and in 1911, a 42-year-old 'master of a school of art', living at 31 Corder Road, Ipswich with his 39 year old wife Edith, born Southsea, and their two daughters, Winifred 9 and Enid 4, both born at Ryton. Elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1925 and a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1929 and was also a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and exhibited at the Fine Art Society in London in 1925. During his holidays Rushton went on sketching tours of Britain and in Europe and continued to work on commissions for large-scale decorative works for cinemas at Southampton, Oxford, Slough, Blackpool, and Ipswich. In 1929 he retired to Blewbury, near Didcot, Berkshire from where he produced many fine watercolours of the area. After a brief period in Dedham, Essex, Rushton returned to Ipswich, living at 'Upgrove', Belstead until his death. A member and exhibitor at Ipswich Fine Art Club 1907-1948 and a regular exhibitor including in 1941 'Bredon Hill from the Cotswolds', 'Frost in Dedham Vale' and 'From Mont Boron' which he also exhibited at the Royal Academy. Amongst his many Ipswich students were Leonard Squirrell, Reginald Haggar, Arthur Southgate, Albert Ribbans; George Fathers; Elsie Haward and many others, and he exhibited with them at Tibbenham's Art Gallery, Upper Brook Street, Ipswich in 1943 'Haymaking in the Cotswolds', which he also exhibited at the Royal Academy. At the Ipswich Fine Art Club he exhibited in 1923, four works 'At the Edge of the Copse', 'A Winter's Morning', 'On the Deben at Woodbridge' and 'Sketch at Woodbridge', in 1932 he exhibited from Ryton Studio, Blewbury, Berkshire, 'Castle Combe, Wilts' which he had exhibited at the Royal Academy the same year, and in 1943, had six works on show 'Ixworth Mill', 'Interior of a Barn, Belstead', 'Farm Buildings, Belstead Hall Farm', 'Glen Falloch, Loch Lomond', 'Mrs James Hendry' and 'Mrs Harris Brand'. Since Rushton’s death his work has continued to be displayed in the local area including exhibitions at the Haste Gallery, Ipswich 1968. Three of his watercolours 'Village in France', 'Dorset Coast' and 'Rochester on the Medway' were exhibited at the centenary of Ipswich Art Club in 1974. In 1939, when his birth date is given as 1 January 1869, George, now retired, and his wife were living at Ryton, Brook Street, Dedham, Essex. George Robert Rushton was of Upgrove, Belstead Road, Ipswich when he died at the East Suffolk & Ipswich Hospital on 20 June 1948, his wife Edith died at 7 Burlington Road, Ipswich on 19 February 1954. He signed his works 'G. R. Rushton' capital letters.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 10 Neville Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
1897 The Widow
from 31 Corder Road, Ipswich
1911 574 Evening Glow
1913 250 Geraint and Edith
         966 The Old Jew
1914 578 King Arthur, leaves Guinevere in charge of the Nuns
from 118 Constable Road, Ipswich
1919 874 The 1918 Harvest
1920 845 Sunshine after Rain
1921 648 Martlesham Meadow
1925 721 In Packington, Warwickshire
         780 On the Orwell, Suffolk: Full Tide
1926 702 Near Lavenham, Suffolk
         768 Bury, South Downs
         798 The Pope’s Palace, Avignon
from Blewbury, near Didcot, Berkshire
1928 745 Les Baux, France - watercolour
         890 Street Scene, Avignon - watercolour
1929 725 Amberley Castle, Sussex - watercolour
1930 694 On the Berkshire Hills - watercolour
from Ryton Studio, Blewbury, Berkshire
1932 719 Castle Combe, Wiltshire - watercolour
1933 939 Hampshire Landscape - watercolour
         983 Distant View of Pope's Palace, Avignon - watercolour
from Ryton, Dedham, Essex
1934 956 On Berkshire Hills - watercolour
1935 869 Genoa Harbour - watercolour
         987 Rochester - watercolour
1936 835 From Mont Boron, Nice - watercolour
1937 785 Nr Goodrich, Monmouthshire - watercolour
1938 946 Sunny Afternoon, Cader Idris - watercolour
from Belstead Road, Ipswich
1942 454 Rochester, Kent - watercolour

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Works by This Artist