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Hermia Boyd

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Hermia Sappho Boyd (nee Lloyd Jones) (1931-2000[1]) was an Australian artist, writer, and a member of the Boyd artistic dynasty.

Boyd family[edit]

Main article: Boyd Family

The Boyd artistic dynasty began with the marriage of Emma Minnie à Beckett (known as Minnie) and Arthur Merric Boyd in 1886.[2] Both were already established as painters at the time of their marriage. Their second-born son Merric Boyd married Doris Gough and had five artistic children, Lucy de Guzman Boyd, Arthur Boyd, Guy Boyd, David Boyd, and Mary Elizabeth Boyd.[3]

In 1948 Hermia Lloyd-Jones joined the Boyd family through marrying David Fielding Gough Boyd.[1] Following the tradition of their family, their three daughters Amanda[4], Lucinda, and Cassandra are artists.[5]

Education and Early Career

Born in Sydney in 1931, Hermia Boyd (nee Llyod Jones) was the daughter of Australian graphic artist Herman Lloyd-Jones[6] and Erica Lloyd-Jones. She is also the sister of Australian actress, artist, and gallerist Clytie Jessop.[7] Hermia first studied art privately with Joy Ewart, and then attended the East Sydney Technical College where she worked under Lyndon Dadswell.[5] While studying she worked part-time at Martin Boyd Pottery.[8] In 1952, whilst in France, she studied wood-engraving with Edward Gordon Craig.[9] Early in 1970 while living in the south of France she studied etching with Sathish Sharma.[9]

Daivd & Hermia Boyd Pottery (1950-1968) 

After David and Hermia were married in 1948, they settled in Sydney to set up their first pottery in a shed in Paddington with fellow artist Tom Sanders.[10] Producing a range called Hermia Ware[11] and large individual pieces for exhibition. Hermia Ware went on to inspire other Australian potters including Milton Moon.[12] Their style used earthernware and terracotta clays to make ceramic wheel-thrown both functional and sculptural forms. They experimented with different glazes including overglaze on porcelain, manganese glaze, underglaze[13], and finely decorated their work using sgraffito techniques and included medieval, byzantine, Coptic[14], and Etruscan[15] imagery.[16] The couples potter's marks were painted or incised with 'Hermia Ware', 'Hermia', 'Boyd / England', 'D + H Boyd' and 'David + Hermia Boyd'.[17]

Moving to Europe in 1950, the couple established pottery studios together in London, (Pinner, Middlesex) [18] which was opened by Hermia's sister and gallerist Cyltie Lloyd-Jones.[19] and opened another studio in the South of France. Hermia designed the distinctive figure sign 'Capricornia' which was at the front of their London studio, the visiting Australian painter Stephen Briggs painted it.[20]

The couple continued to work primarily in pottery through to the mid-1960s. While in London they were labelled by the media as the "Golden Couple" of pottery.[21] During this period, Hermia would decorate and draw the designs for the pots and sculpture fired by David while they were raising their young children in London.[22] David is quoted as saying that Hermia's ability to perform both of these tasks was "'Sheer Genius.' 'Hermia makes a good job of everything she takes up.'"[23] By the mid-1950s the Boyds became widely known as leading Australian potters.[24][25] They introduced new glazing techniques and potter's wheel use in shaping sculptural figures.

Moving to Rome with David and their children in 1961, then back to London, spending several years creating art in Spain and the south of France, Hermia and David worked together in Australia, England and France before closing their last pottery in Murrumbeena in 1968 to concentrate on their respective individual artistic practices. David moved into a painting career, while Hermia focused on etching and sculpture.[26] The couple returned permanently to Australia in 1971.[21]

Solo Career

Hermia Boyd continued to pursue a solo artist career before and after the closure of David and Hermia Boyd Pottery. Hermia was also a costumer and set designer for theatre shows, including the curtain of the Royal Theatre in Ballarat. [27]She was praised for her costuming and sets of the 1958 Lola Montez production at the Elizabethan Theatre which were reputed have cost £80,000.[28] In 1960, Boyd was commended for her costuming and set design for Peter O’Shaughnessy's production of "Miss Julie"at the Russell Street Theatre.[29] In 1971, Boyd had a solo exhibition at South Yarra Gallery Hermia Boyd: Sculptures, Bronzes, drawings and etchings.[30]

Hermia House

Hermia House was originally a property of two terraces in Paddington, which went for auction in 1988. [31] David Boyd wanted to leave a property as a cultural gift for the nation, in a similar fashion to what his brother Arthur had done with his Shoalhaven property, Bundanon Homestead.[32] Boyd intended this for the second Hermia House, a colonial period house in St. Peters, where he and Hermia lived from 1989, held a large collection of their paintings, pottery and sculpture, by Boyd family members and artist friends. Boyd wanted to keep the collection intact and turn the house into a public gallery where young Australian painters could exhibit for free. However, the endeavor proved too difficult to manage in St. Peters.[21] The house went for auction and was sold in 2020 for 1.6 million dollars (AUD).[33]

Activism

Hermia Boyd signed a letter and was a part of the demonstration in 1966 at Australia House in London protesting the Australian participation in the Vietnam War, alongside figures including David Boyd, Arthur Boyd, actor Leo McKern, composer Malcolm Williams, art gallery director Lesley Stack, painter John Olsen, Morris Hope, art critic Robert Hughes, cartoonist Arthur Horner, TV producer Tom Mainfield and poet Peter Porter.[34] Both Hermia and David were members of the Committee of Australian Artists for Parliamentary Democracy.[35]

Death[edit]

Hermia died 25th January 2000. David Boyd died aged 87 on November 10, 2011.[21]  





References

  1. ^ a b McCulloch, McCulloch, McCulloch-Childs., Alan, Susan, Emily. (2006). The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art (4th ed.). Melbourne, Australia.: Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press. p. 276. ISBN 052285317X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) - 26 Apr 1972 - p15". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  3. ^ Niall, Brenda (2002). The Boyds: a family biography. Victoria, Australia: Miegunyah Press, Melbourne University Press. ISBN 978-0-522-84871-7.
  4. ^ "The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) - 3 Dec 1958 - p15". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  5. ^ a b Germaine, Max (1990). Artists and Galleries of Australia Volumes 1 & 2 (3rd ed.). Sydney: Craftsman Press. p. 73. ISBN 9789768097026.
  6. ^ Lindsay, Philip (1941). 'I'd Live The Same Life Over'. London, UK.: Hutchinson & Co. p. 61.
  7. ^ "The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) - 16 Oct 1951 - p11". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  8. ^ Johnston, Dorothy (2002). The Peoples' Potteries. Sydney, Australia.: Dorothy Johnston. pp. 87–88. ISBN 9780646418711.
  9. ^ a b Printmaking, Prints and. "Hermia Boyd". www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  10. ^ "Tom Sanders - Australian Pottery at bemboka". www.australianpotteryatbemboka.com.au. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  11. ^ "The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954) - 19 Nov 1950 - p58". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  12. ^ Maps, Visit North Terrace Adelaide SA 5000 Australia T. +61 8 8207 7000 E. infoartgallery sa gov au www agsa sa gov au AGSA Kaurna yartangka yuwanthi AGSA stands on Kaurna land Open in. "Milton Moon". AGSA - The Art Gallery of South Australia. Retrieved 2024-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) - 29 Sep 1953 - p8". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  14. ^ "At Sydney Galleries". Le Courrier Australien. 1955-07-29. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  15. ^ "The Hebrew Standard of Australasia (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1953) - 25 Aug 1949 - p5". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  16. ^ Carter's Price Guide to Antiques. (2017). "Boyd's Winged Pot". Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  17. ^ "David & Hermia Boyd - Australian Pottery at bemboka". www.australianpotteryatbemboka.com.au. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  18. ^ "Happy When They're Hiking". Age. 1951-04-13. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  19. ^ "Woman's World". Herald. 1951-10-16. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  20. ^ "The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954) - 2 Nov 1951 - p11". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  21. ^ a b c d Niall, Brenda; Boyd, Lucinda (December 12, 2011). "Figurative artist stepped out from his brother's shadow".
  22. ^ "Australian Girls In London". Singleton Argus. 1951-11-16. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  23. ^ "Australian Potters Show Their Craft In London". Advertiser. 1953-10-24. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  24. ^ "The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 25 Aug 1982 - p25". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  25. ^ "Sculptor turns to drawings". Argus. 1955-11-09. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  26. ^ Vader, John (1977). The Pottery and Ceramics of David and Hermia Boyd. Sydney, Australia.: Phillip Mathews, Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 9780908001040.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  27. ^ "The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) - 5 Nov 1958 - p10". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  28. ^ "The Australian Jewish Times (Sydney, NSW : 1953 - 1990) - 7 Nov 1958 - p7". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  29. ^ ""MISS JULIE" PRODUCTION IMPRESSES". Australian Jewish Herald. 1960-11-04. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  30. ^ "Hermia Boyd, Sculptures, Bronzes, drawings and etchings. at South Yarra Gallery. (1971) · Australian Prints + Printmaking". www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  31. ^ "News from NLA (March 2020)". Journal of Clinical Lipidology. 14 (2): 160. March 2020. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2020.03.004. ISSN 1933-2874.
  32. ^ "Bundanon". Bundanon. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  33. ^ "Boyd artistic dynasty list Claraville at St Peters". Urban.com.au. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  34. ^ "Tribune (Sydney, NSW : 1939 - 1991) - 2 Feb 1966 - p2". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  35. ^ "Vol. 097 No. 4986 (6 Dec 1975)". Trove. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
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