THE WEY GALLERY |  Fred Cuming RA

Born in 1930, in London, Fred attended Sidcup School of Art from 1945-1949 having completed his National Service.  He went on to attend the Royal College of Art in 1951, winning a Rome Scholarship and an Abbey Minor Scholarship. In 1969 he became an ARA and was elected a Royal Academician in 1974.  A member of the New English Art Club, Associate of the Royal College of Art, Fred lives and works in East Sussex.

 Cuming’s first one-man show was held in 1978 at the Thackeray Gallery, London, and since then he has exhibited regularly in solo shows throughout the UK and more recently in the United States. His work has also been included in many group exhibitions since 1953, and in 2001 he was given the honour of being the featured artist in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, with an entire gallery within the show being dedicated to his work.

 The East Sussex coastline, in particular Camber and Rye, provide the backdrop for the majority of Cuming's work. The tonal and pictoral values in his preliminary oil studies are true to nature. On returning to the studio, Cuming uses his distinctive technique of quickly layered colour to achieve a sensitive and unique rendering of light and mood. His trademark palette, indicative of the Camden School Group, is refreshingly limited. It is this restricted palette that makes the paintings definitively 'Cuming'. We can liken Cuming's approach to his work to that of the changing nature of the English landscape.  With the natural passing of time and the subsequent changes in light, Cuming's challenge is to capture a specific moment in time. The result is a series of perfectly formed thoughts. Each complete painting provides vital information for the next, whilst always retaining in the work a deep sense of individuality.

 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

 1950s                     Rome Scholarship

1950s                     Abbey Minor Scholarship

1977                       Grand Prix Fine Art

1986                       New English Art Club

Prize-winner in the Ingot Industrial Competition; Royal Academy of Art’s House & Garden Award; Sir Brinsley Ford Prize