Ilene Rosa Stichbury
Date of birth
1898
Date of death
1991
Biography
Ilene Rose Stichbury 1898 - 1991
Ilene Rose Stichbury was born June 10th, 1898.
She was trained under Frank and Walter Wright, whose works her own closely
resemble in colour, style and subject matter. The Wright brothers held classes from
the "Wright's Studio" in the Victoria Arcade, Queen Street from the 1890's and several
of their students were successful in winning competitions.
Stichbury later taught art part-time at Hilltop, a private school in Khyber Pass Road.
The school's emphasis was on preparing young girls for life in refined and polite
society. Stichbury also taught speech and music from home.
Aged 39 years she sailed to England and Europe on the Niagara, to paint and study
art. In Europe she met her future husband the poet Lawrence Daiken. They travelled
together through Europe, during which time Stichbury printed copies of Daiken's
poems. With war impending they travelled to London and then to Vancouver, Canada where they were married in 1939
1948 the couple moved to New Zealand to take up residence in the Stichbury family
home. Lawrence Daiken did not enjoy life in New Zealand and left his wife to return
to Canada via Fiji, from here he divorced Ilene and remarried. Ilene never remarried.
In 1971 she moved to Croyden Road where she lived by herself till she died on May
24th 1991,17 days before her 93rd birthday
.
It can be regretted that marriage to Daiken resulted in the end of her painting career
but Ilene Stichbury's paintings provide current generations with a wealth of
information; topographical and historical of Auckland and its environs in the 1920s
and 30s. The Waikato was also a favourite area to paint, and in these works we are shown details of Maori life.
A play was written based on her life called ‘A Venetian Bride’
Very few of her works had been on the market until an auction sale of her collection at Webb’s in 1990, less than a year before her death in 1991.
Provided by Elizabeth Dodd, Trust Waikato contract researcher, form Grant BeGrant Bezzett, Director
Fine Art Society New Zealand [Hamilton Branch]
Ilene Rose Stichbury was born June 10th, 1898.
She was trained under Frank and Walter Wright, whose works her own closely
resemble in colour, style and subject matter. The Wright brothers held classes from
the "Wright's Studio" in the Victoria Arcade, Queen Street from the 1890's and several
of their students were successful in winning competitions.
Stichbury later taught art part-time at Hilltop, a private school in Khyber Pass Road.
The school's emphasis was on preparing young girls for life in refined and polite
society. Stichbury also taught speech and music from home.
Aged 39 years she sailed to England and Europe on the Niagara, to paint and study
art. In Europe she met her future husband the poet Lawrence Daiken. They travelled
together through Europe, during which time Stichbury printed copies of Daiken's
poems. With war impending they travelled to London and then to Vancouver, Canada where they were married in 1939
1948 the couple moved to New Zealand to take up residence in the Stichbury family
home. Lawrence Daiken did not enjoy life in New Zealand and left his wife to return
to Canada via Fiji, from here he divorced Ilene and remarried. Ilene never remarried.
In 1971 she moved to Croyden Road where she lived by herself till she died on May
24th 1991,17 days before her 93rd birthday
.
It can be regretted that marriage to Daiken resulted in the end of her painting career
but Ilene Stichbury's paintings provide current generations with a wealth of
information; topographical and historical of Auckland and its environs in the 1920s
and 30s. The Waikato was also a favourite area to paint, and in these works we are shown details of Maori life.
A play was written based on her life called ‘A Venetian Bride’
Very few of her works had been on the market until an auction sale of her collection at Webb’s in 1990, less than a year before her death in 1991.
Provided by Elizabeth Dodd, Trust Waikato contract researcher, form Grant BeGrant Bezzett, Director
Fine Art Society New Zealand [Hamilton Branch]