*BETTY SWANWICK (1915-1989) 'The Sightless Man'

Betty Swanwick was a painter, illustrator, designer and writer of novelettes. She studied at Goldsmith's College under Edward Bawden who became a life-long friend. While still a student she fulfilled advertising commissions for London Transport, as well as Bendick's and Barrow's, competing with E McKnight Kauffer and her teachers, Edward Bawden and Clive Gardiner. From 1965, her unique visionary watercolours are in the tradition of William Blake and Samuel Palmer. They are often compared to Stanley Spencer, though she refuted that she was directly influenced by him. In her watercolours she developed a distinctive world reflecting her dreams and experiences with a strong spiritual component. Behind day-to-day events she saw images and concepts which she used to symbolise a more meaningful understanding of life.