REEVE, John Constable

1929 - 2020

John Constable Reeve was born at Valley Farm, Sproughton, Ipswich in 1929, son of Clarence Victor Reeve and his wife Mabel Rose née Wright (22 July 1898-1962), who married at Ipswich in 1921, his sister was Diana Rose Reeve. John left school in December 1943 and went to work at Manor Farm, Hintlesham near Ipswich and continued his childhood hobby of painting. From 1947 a regular winner of the Founder's Gold Star at the Royal Drawing Society and at the age of 11, exhibited at the Ipswich Art Club in 1941 two works 'Lower Meadow Bridge' and 'Sunshine' and was a member and exhibitor 1945-1958, exhibiting in 1942 two works 'Ivywell Farm, Sproughton, Suffolk' for which he was awarded a Silver Star at the Children's Academy 1942, and 'Fen Farm, Burstall, Suffolk' and in 1943 all of his exhibits were award winning at the Children's Academy 'Portrait of Daddy' the Silver Star, 'After the Shower' winning the Gold Star Prize, 'The Valley Farm Sproughton' winning the Gold Star and Gratton Cooke R.D.S., and 'The Farmyard' which also won the Gold Star and the Gratton Cooke prize. A regular exhibitor at Ipswich Art Club, showing five works in 1944 oils 'June Evening on Fen Farm, Burstall', 'On the Valley Farm, Burstall', 'Diana', 'Berrishill Drive, Burstall' and 'The Dead Tree'. Also, a member of the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle 1949-1966 from Mettingham, Suffolk and a member and 'resident artist' at the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton, Suffolk. He was a farmer on the family farm, continuing to paint and sell his pictures as a hobby and he married at Lothingland, Suffolk in 1955, Freda Jane Bower (1934-15 November 2014) and they had daughter Catherine and a son, Jonathan. In 2013 he was living at Prospect Farm, Low Road, Mettingham, Bungay, Suffolk when he donated to the Westhall Secret Postcard Auction 'Suffolk Punch' and the following year a watercolour 'Happy Pigs'. John Constable Reeve died at Mettingham on 14 March 2020, aged 90.

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Works by This Artist