Mary Margaret Gore Spicer (1908–1984) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

artist.

Education

Spicer was educated at

Chilton Saint James School Chilton Saint James School is a private single-sex girls composite school located in central Lower Hutt, New Zealand. The school was founded in 1918 by Geraldine FitzGerald, and was a combined day and boarding school until the dormitories closed ...

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

, New Zealand, and Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland. She then trained at the

Elam School of Fine Arts The Elam School of Fine Arts, founded by John Edward Elam, is part of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. Students study degrees in fine art with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. The schoo ...

and was influenced by the teaching of John Weeks, though she was not taught by him directly.

Career

Spicer worked in

watercolours Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

, often painting

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

s and life in small towns of New Zealand. She was a contemporary of Rena Manson,

Ida Eise Ida Gertrude Eise (9 September 1891 – 7 March 1978) was a New Zealand artist and art teacher. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 9 September 1891. She was a student of Edward Fristrom and painted in an impressionistic style. She taugh ...

, and

Bessie Christie Elizabeth Froomes Christie (3 August 1904 – 9 March 1983) was a New Zealand painter. Career Born in Wellington on 3 August 1904, Christie trained at the Elam School of Fine Art at Auckland University College. She taught art at Takapuna Gram ...

. After her studies, Spicer traveled to England and Egypt with her mother,

Ella Spicer Eleanor 'Ella' Juliet Spicer (née Adams, 1876 – 1958) was a New Zealand artist. Her work is included in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Turnbull library and Hocken library. Personal life Born in Lawrence, New ...

, also an artist. During their travels they both exhibited in Cairo. Spicer exhibited with several New Zealand art associations including: * Auckland Society of Arts *

Canterbury Society of Arts Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is administered by the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Charitable Trust. Quarte ...

* New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts * Rutland Group * Auckland Fellowship of Artists In 1963 she was awarded the Kelliher Art Prize (second place). Her work is held at the

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

Arts Centre and Museum Association.

Education

Career

References

Further reading