William Kay Blacklock was an accomplished British painter of landscapes and genre scenes.

Born in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, Blacklock’s early years appear to be rather turbulent. His father, John Blacklock, an engine fitter, lost his life early, leaving his mother to raise the family alone. In 1891, the census records him living in Carlisle where his mother worked as a publican. One can’t imagine the stresses placed upon a Victorian family in this situation.

To help with the finances, the budding artist gained an apprenticeship working for a lithographer and before long enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London. At just 25, he debuted at the Royal Academy with ‘The Home of the Fisherman, Whitby’.

A keen draughtsman, he excelled at figure work with a particular skill for light effects and drapery. In a piece titled ‘Playing with Mother’, a red-cheeked toddler sits by grasses on a beach, while her doting mum prods a yellow spade in the sand. The outfits and expressions are handled beautifully. The mother wears a straw hat with a ribbon, shading her face from the radiant sun. While the view beyond extends towards a dark blue suggestion of the distant sea.

Blacklock specialised in scenes such as this - sentimental, somewhat idealised, yet carrying all the charm you could ever wish for. Women were generally front and centre - usually portrayed in caring/providing roles. Many of these feature ‘Nellie’, his regular model, whom he married in 1909.

Following his marriage, the pair moved several times - Chelsea, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Leicester, France and Polperro. This inability to settle was caused in part by Blacklock’s failing health and the necessity to find warmer climbs but also, in 1921, by a serious house fire.

This piece, from around 1922, was probably produced during the pair’s extended stay in France. Here, we see an elderly lady carrying a basket and parasol, returning to a quaint old cottage with window shutters. Unbroken sunshine illuminates the stonework.

With his health continuing to worsen, the Blacklocks moved to Polperro in Cornwall, where he died in 1924. He left behind a remarkably joyous oeuvre despite the realities of his challenging situation. A true artist.

His works were shown at the Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. He’s represented at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Exhibited

Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.

Public Collections

Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, Cliffe Castle Museum.

Timeline

1872

Born in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, England, to John Blacklock, an engine fitter, and his wife Isabella Blacklock.

1891

Lived in Rickergate, Carlisle, with his siblings and widowed mother, who was a publican, while working as a lithographer’s apprentice.

Trained at the Royal College of Art in London.

Began exhibiting at the Bewick Club, Newcastle.

1897

Debuted at the Royal Academy with ‘The Home of the Fisherman, Whitby’ and ‘A Study’. He continued to exhibit until 1918 and 17 works were shown.

1898

Moved to London and studied anatomy at London Teaching Hospitals.

1901

Lived in Rickergate, Rickergate, Carlisle, with his siblings and widowed mother, who was a boarding housekeeper, while working as a lithographer.

1902

Worked as headmaster at the Edinburgh Institute of Art.

1909

Married his model, Ellen Richardson.

Lived in Chelsea, London, with his wife.

Moved to Walberswick in Suffolk where he joined an artists’ colony founded by Philip Wilson Steer.

Moved to Hemingford Gray, Cambridgeshire.

Moved to Leicester.

C. 1921

Travelled to France with his wife to sketch.

1924

Died in Polperro, Cornwall.