Ruth Edith Tuck OAM (22 July 1914 – 10 October 2008) was a modernist painter of South Australia, noted for joint exhibitions with her husband Mervyn Ashmore Smith (11 December 1904 – 18 March 1994), and her influence as a teacher of painting. The Ruth Tuck Art School, founded by her in 1955, continues to operate in Adelaide. She was related to the better-known Marie Tuck.
Ruth Tuck | |
|---|---|
 "The Triple Mirror" self-portrait of Ruth Tuck | |
| Born | Ruth Edith Tuck 22 July 1914 Cowell, South Australia |
| Died | 8 October 2008 (aged 94) |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse |
Mervyn Ashmore Smith
(m. 1943) |
Early life and education
editRuth Edith Tuck was born on 22 July 1914[1] at Cowell, South Australia, a daughter of Arthur Edward Tuck (1855 – 8 April 1925) and his wife Minnie, née Wallis.[citation needed]
Career
editShe studied painting under Dorrit Black and exhibited regularly with the Royal South Australian Society of Arts and was a foundation member of the Contemporary Art Society.[2]
She met Mervyn Smith in 1943 and married him on 15 October the same year;[3] they lived in Adelaide, then Mervyn moved to Newcastle, New South Wales in 1949, where he was employed as a County Council planning officer; she joined him few years later.[4] In 1953 they returned to Adelaide, where they remained and held numerous joint exhibitions of their watercolors, both modernist in outlook with Mervyn's work being generally characterised as the more ambitious.[5]
Publications
editHer written work includes biographies of Mary Packer Harris and Marie Anne Tuck for the Australian Dictionary of Biography.[citation needed]
Ruth Tuck Art School
editRuth established the Ruth Tuck Art School in 1955.[6]
Recognition and honours
editTuck was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1981 for services to art.[1]
The Ruth Tuck Scholarship for Visual Arts was awarded by the state government via Carclew until 2016.[7][8]
Death and legacy
editTuck died on 10 October 2008.[1]
The Ruth Tuck Art School continues to operate, at the Burnside Arts and Crafts Centre, in Hubbe Court, Burnside.[9]
Family
editRuth was a granddaughter of noted Baptist minister Rev. Henry Lewer Tuck (11 September 1820 – 26 August 1880), an early immigrant to South Australia, whose brother Edward Starkey Tuck (13 March 1827 – 9 August 1898) was the father of Marie Tuck (5 September 1866 – 3 September 1947). See her article for more details of the Tuck family in South Australia.
Ruth had a son Mark in 1945[10] and twin daughters Michele and Angela in 1953.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c Snowden, Betty (2011) [1995]. "Ruth Tuck - biography". Design & Art Australia Online. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "Art Show By Husband And Wife". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 24 July 1947. p. 10. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2015 – via Trove - National Library of Australia.
- ^ Pike, Philip. "Interview with Mervyn Ashmore Smith / Interviewer: Philip Pike". Trove. National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
...marriage to Ruth Tuck on 15 October 1943...", "...married Ruth after knowing her for about 3 months..
- ^ "Art Show By Husband And Wife". The Newcastle Sun. Newcastle, NSW. 27 June 1952. p. 5. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2015 – via Trove - National Library of Australia.
- ^ Kelly, Clive (24 August 1954). "Artistic Partnership Has Same Outlook". The Advertiser. Adelaide. p. 10. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2015 – via Trove - National Library of Australia.
- ^ Boisvert, Eugene (4 December 2014). "Burnside's Ruth Tuck Art School wants former students' paintings for 60th anniversary exhibition at Carclew". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
South Australian watercolour artist Ruth Tuck founded the school in 1955 and originally ran classes from her home in Fullarton. The school then moved to the Freemasons Hall in Fullarton before relocating to Burnside Arts and Crafts Centre, in Hubbe Court, in 1981.
- ^ Rodda, Paul. "News: Carclew Scholarships 2015". The Barefoot Review. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Carclew scholarships help four talented young SA stars grow" (PDF). Carclew. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Location". Ruth Tuck Art School. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Art Prizes Go to Women". The News. Adelaide. 22 April 1949. p. 13. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2015 – via Trove - National Library of Australia.
- ^ "South Australian water colour artist and teacher Ruth Tuck dies at 94". The Advertiser. Retrieved 10 December 2012.