SUTTON, Wilfred

1917 - 2012

Wilf Sutton

Wilfred Charles Sutton was born at Lowestoft, Suffolk on 11 July 1917, sixth child of Frederick George Sutton (13 May 1874-1944), a fishing skipper, and his wife Christina née Pitchers (11 October 1875-1955), who married at Lowestoft in 1895 and in 1939 were living at 23 White Horse Street, Lowestoft. Wilfred was educated at Church Road School, Lowestoft and whilst at school took drawing classes on Friday afternoons when introduced to drawing the human form. On leaving school in 1931, he took an apprenticeship at the Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft. Wilfred married at Lowestoft in 1939, Edna May Seago (1917-1993) when living at 151 Long Road, Lowestoft. During the Second World War Wilfred joined the Royal Air Force taking a commercial art course at RAF West Raynham, Norfolk where he studied oils, watercolours and latterly acrylics. After the war, he completed his ten-year apprenticeship at Eastern Coach Works but continued with his art studies and in the 1950s made hundreds of cartoons for the works magazine, during which time he met another works employee, Peter Lee, who had studied History of Art before the war, and who designed the cover of the magazine. In 1960, Wilf was a founder member of a new Lowestoft Art Group and at their 1st Exhibition he exhibited three works 'Hayrick, Mobbs Farm', 'Gale off Corton Roads', and 'Marshes, Beccles'. ‘Punch’ magazine accepted one of his works for their publication, but he discontinued studying on a commercial Art course, and studied life-drawing and painting at Lowestoft College and at the Regent Road Art School. In 1999 he won the award for the best painting in the Joint Services Command Art Exhibition at the Staff College at Bracknell, Berkshire. He painted in acrylic, watercolour, oil and line wash and has exhibited with the Lowestoft Art Group; the Amateur International Exhibition, London and had further exhibitions in East Anglia with his last exhibition at the Ferini Art Gallery, Pakefield, Lowestoft in 2005. Wilfred Charles Sutton died at Lowestoft on 26 July 2012.




Works by This Artist