Holmes - Walter Holmes (b.1936)

Walter Holmes (b.1936). Landscape, marine and still life painter in oil, watercolour and pastel; illustrator. He was born at Wallsend, Newcastle and after his education at a local grammar school went onto take BSc Geology at King College (now Newcastle University). A diploma in geophysics from Imperial College followed two years later and it was while studying in London that a chance visit to the National Portrait Gallery reawaked a boyhood love for drawing and painting. This led to part time study at Hammersmith and Chelsea School of Art, and on returning to Tyneside to work as a technical editor with a local manufacturing company he began attending Newcastle University, gaining a certificate in art. By 1971 he had made such progress that he was able to uphold his first one man exhibition at Gulbekian Gallery, Newcastle. His work was also shown at the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Northern Art Show, Shipley Art Gallery (1978). He gained 2nd prize in the John Laing Art Competition in London, 1981. He then became a full time artist. He exhibited widely across Northumberland. In 1999, he won the Dover Prize in the annual exhibition. Major exhibitions of his work were held at the Tallantyre Gallery, Morpeth (2000) and Colliers Gallery (2002). He resides at Ponteland, nr Newcastle.