Two original paintings by the much-loved local artist Mary Fedden (1915-2012) come for sale at Chiswick Auctions this month. Fedden, the first woman tutor to teach at Royal College of Art, moved to Chiswick in 1949 to live with her husband fellow artist Julian Trevelyan at his studio and home at Durham Wharf. She continued painting there until she died, aged 96, in 2012.

Fedden’s work is rooted in the British modernist tradition. However, characterized by bold, bright colours, simplified forms, and playful, whimsical subject matter, it is particularly admired for its sense of joy and optimism. Still-lifes were a favourite genre as can be seen in the 73 x 91cm oil The Fish Pot that is signed and dated 1998 (estimate £10,000-15,000) and the smaller 39 x 48cm oil Still Life with Milk Jug from 2007 (estimate £7,000-10,000).

Both pictures will be offered as part of the sale of Modern British and Irish Art on March 29 at Chiswick Auctions’ new Barley Mow saleroom.

Mary Fedden was born in Bristol, and dreamed of becoming a painter. She studied at Slade School of Art, under the theatre designer Vladimir Polunin, who had worked with the Ballets Russes; this paved the way for the her long and successful career.

In 1949, Fedden located to Chiswick, where she lived with fellow artist Julian Trevelyan. Their working studio home at Durham Wharf became a hub of artistic activity in West London. She would later become the first woman tutor to teach at Royal College of Art, where David Hockey, Patrick Caulfield, Allen Jones and R.B. Kitaj were all pupils.

Fedden's painting style was characterized by its use of bold, bright colours, simplified forms, and playful, whimsical subject matter. Her work often featured still-life objects, landscapes, and animals, and was deeply influenced by her travels in Italy and France. Whilst her style would become increasingly rooted in the British modernist tradition, her work also showed the influence of other art movements, including Post-Impressionism and Fauvism.

Fedden's unique combination of playfulness and elegance painting were distinctive for their ability to capture the beauty and simplicity of everyday life, and for their ability to convey a sense of joy and optimism.