CW NORTHING - ARTIST

Clarence Willie Northing was born in 1895 and died in 1973. He left school at 14 to work for a bookseller and Fine Art Dealer where he learned to cut mounts and to frame pictures. He gained a scholarship to study Art in evening classes for three nights a week.

In WW 1 he served in the front line at Ypres, Pachendale, Roelcapelle, Bischete & Houlthurst Forest and was wounded in action. Pensioned off on full pension for 6 months, later extended by another 12 months. He used his time travelling and sketching. He rented a room as an art studio in Bradford but the tenancy was withdrawn in 1920.

Two works were accepted by Liverpool Walker Art Gallery but there is nothing listed there in 2012. He became a member of Yorkshire Society of Artists. By 1922 sales of works had dried up and a job was required- assistant in Boots Art Department Sheffield. Moved to a wooden self-built bungalow in Fulwood.

Subsequently he moved to Boots art department in Manchester, living in Romiley. When Boots Manchester was obliterated in the war, he moved to Cheltenham.

Do you have any of his pictures or any images of them? They are typically selling in 2013 for anything from a fiver to forty pounds depending on medium, condition, size, and frame. There was an increased interest in 2016 and some large and attractive pictures sold for over a hundred pounds- but were then resold in 2017 for almost half that. In many cases the value is reduced due to deterioration. The family are interested in purchasing anything found, subject to price.

Auctioneers: Please note! Your seller may be able to obtain a better price from the family than from an open auction, his works (especially the watercolours and linoprints) do not seem to attract purchasers. A current interest in Modern British work has assisted some pastels and oils to reach good prices.

Our records indicate that CWN exhibited at the Royal Cambrian (2) and the Walker Art Gallery Liverpool (7).
There seems to be an idea that a James Bourlet label on the back means a painting has been exhibited at the RA. This is false and possibly a dealers trick (It has a Bourlet label. They handled RA Exhibits...). Bourlet were framers and packers, and whilst they did handle RA exhibitions they did a great deal more work. The RA has advised me that CWN had no paintings in any of their Exhibitions.

Recent contacts resulting from this web page include:
an owner of a damaged watercolour, who wished to keep it - we were able to identify the location and send him a photo of the artist at that location.
A trustee disposing of an estate who decided not to throw away a single watercolour (from many other paintings which were not so lucky) but contacted us and donated the picture- which we were able to identify as formerly the property of a private pupil of the artist, which had been on exhibition in Salford Art gallery in 1945.

Salford Art Gallery have very kindly let us have a copy of their exhibition catalogue for C W Northing, which ran from 20th October to 2nd December 1945 (when the gallery was open every day of the week). There are 149 works listed of which the site owner has seven, and Salford Art Gallery holds another two, while other members of the family have others.

There was a later exhibition at Cheltenham Art Gallery- "An Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture by C. W. Northing, Percy Braisby and Maurice Kent, of  Cheltenham ; and Edward Wakeford. of London, was on show from 4 Dec.46  to 1 Jan.47  During this period it was visited by 2,485 persons, an average of 112 daily."

Bath Victoria Art Gallery holds one picture - we are aware that two were sold to them. Salford Art Gallery holds two paintings. We believe there is one watercolour owned by Fflint council.