Maria Felicia Hett (nee Lieven-Bauwens) (1908-2012)
Maria Felicia Hett (nee Lievin-Bauwens) (1908-2012), known as Felicia, was a British artist who lived to be 104. She was born in West Norwood, London with her twin brother Felix. She painted and exhibited under her maiden name until her marriage in 1943 and then continued to exhibit under her married name of Hett. Together with her elder sister Isabel, the three siblings were initially taught by the artists Walter Donne and his wife Winifred. They were also influenced by their own mother and aunt who both trained at the Lambeth School of Art. Felicia continued her training at Clapham High School and at the associated teacher's training college until she went to study at the London School of Art run by John Hassall, famous for his posters, where she won the Brangwyn medal. From there she entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1928 where she won a bronze medal for life painting and was awarded the Leverhulme and Landseer Scholarships before attaining the RA Diploma in 1933. At this time she also studied wood engraving with her life long friend Joan Hassall and travelled, with her sketch book, in Europe. After leaving the Academy Schools her work was exhibited at the RA, ROI, RBA and New English Art Club and many other places.
During the First World war the Bauwens family took a cottage in Ockley, Surrey, near Walter Donne and his wife who were family friends. The cottage was next door to a farm where the siblings were initiated into animal husbandry and a country life; duly recorded by Felicia in her sketch books. Later, when living with heir maternal grand mother in Clapham Park, Felicia learned to ride with the Surrey Yeomanry, whose remount stables were close by. The family also used to stay from very early days in Amberley, West Sussex, where their mother had a close artist friend, Isabella Watkin, and in 1927 they bought their own home there. Felicia continued to sketch and paint in the area, highly influenced by the artist Cecil Ross Burnett and other local artists. Willow Cottage remained in the family until 2000.
During the early part of the Second World War, Felicia was commissioned by the Aldridge Gallery, Worthing, to paint a number of the older houses in the town as a record in case they were bombed. The buildings survived but the day after she was there a bomb fell where she had been sitting! Four of her watercolours were subsequently purchased by Worthing Council.
In 1942 Felicia received her call up papers, on the return of her sister from America, and she went to work as a land girl in Hertfordshire, on the farm of a friend from her RA student days. In 1943 she married Cyril Hett, the brother of a student friend and continued to produce work although busy as a farmer's wife and bringing up two children
The Hett family came back to Sussex in 1962 to farm at East Harting, near Midhurst where Felicia continued to live until her death aged 104 on 24th December 2012. During the 1970's and 80's she held regular studio afternoons for local artists. Two retrospective exhibitions were held in 2013 in her studio in East Harting, West Sussex and at Amberley. (Information taken from biography attached to reverse of painting).
Exhibited: New England Art Club 3, Royal Academy 2, Royal Society of British Artists 4, Royal Institute of Oil Painters 2.
During the First World war the Bauwens family took a cottage in Ockley, Surrey, near Walter Donne and his wife who were family friends. The cottage was next door to a farm where the siblings were initiated into animal husbandry and a country life; duly recorded by Felicia in her sketch books. Later, when living with heir maternal grand mother in Clapham Park, Felicia learned to ride with the Surrey Yeomanry, whose remount stables were close by. The family also used to stay from very early days in Amberley, West Sussex, where their mother had a close artist friend, Isabella Watkin, and in 1927 they bought their own home there. Felicia continued to sketch and paint in the area, highly influenced by the artist Cecil Ross Burnett and other local artists. Willow Cottage remained in the family until 2000.
During the early part of the Second World War, Felicia was commissioned by the Aldridge Gallery, Worthing, to paint a number of the older houses in the town as a record in case they were bombed. The buildings survived but the day after she was there a bomb fell where she had been sitting! Four of her watercolours were subsequently purchased by Worthing Council.
In 1942 Felicia received her call up papers, on the return of her sister from America, and she went to work as a land girl in Hertfordshire, on the farm of a friend from her RA student days. In 1943 she married Cyril Hett, the brother of a student friend and continued to produce work although busy as a farmer's wife and bringing up two children
The Hett family came back to Sussex in 1962 to farm at East Harting, near Midhurst where Felicia continued to live until her death aged 104 on 24th December 2012. During the 1970's and 80's she held regular studio afternoons for local artists. Two retrospective exhibitions were held in 2013 in her studio in East Harting, West Sussex and at Amberley. (Information taken from biography attached to reverse of painting).
Exhibited: New England Art Club 3, Royal Academy 2, Royal Society of British Artists 4, Royal Institute of Oil Painters 2.