Back to the news archive...

Herbert Whone violinist, artist and author holds exhibition of new and retrospective work at Mercer Galleries in Harrogate, Yorkshire

From 26th May this year for a period of one month a rare and remarkable visual experience has welcomed visitors to the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Over the last few years, Herbert Whone, violinist, teacher, author and artist, has been working on a phase of painting that included his latest fascination - Yorkshire waterfalls. Many people familiar with the Yorkshire countryside will have recognised some of the more famous spots depicted in rich pastel colour, such as Gordale Scar in Malham and Linton Falls near Grassington.

Also on view were a number of prints from originals of another love of Herbert Whone's - Fountains Abbey. For many years, he was an official guide working for the National Trust at Fountains and I can vouch for the very interesting, unusually well informed and often rather unorthodox(!) tours he gave to many wide-eyed visitors.

Amongst the large number of retrospective works were early paintings from Herbert Whone's career whilst playing in various orchestras, in particular whilst deputy leader of the Scottish National Orchestra (1956 - 1964). These evocative pictures depict such luminaries as Sir Colin Davis, Sir Adrian Boult and Paul Tortelier - all painted from life - amongst other members of the orchestra that caught his eye. But the paintings that stand out for me are those that catch a moment in the history of Glasgow that few others did - of crumbling tenement buildings, decaying ship yards and the famous Glasgow trams that lurched through the smoke-filled city. I can still remember as a small child being taken out to ride the "last tram" and afterwards, visits with my father to the "tram graveyard" where we would pick through the remnants of a time gone by.

Yet other pictures to be seen were those of Yorkshire landscapes, painted after Herbert Whone moved to Huddersfield in 1964 to take up a teaching post as senior lecturer at Huddersfield Polytehnic, and tree drawings, another particular interest of the artist.

The Exhibition ended on 25th June.