Mildred Bendall

It seems that for Mildred Bendall all the exploration, drama and excitement of life was in her art, which was like a window of a simple room opened onto an exotic garden. She was no visionary but she was constantly experimental, and in her work we have a record of her personal exploration of colour and shape. Her paintings are richly decorative, sumptuous in colour, intended to feed and stimulate the eye. They stand as a testament to her visual enjoyment of nature, and in their full and satisfying harmonies we can experience some of her enjoyment.

Mildred saw paintings as a meditative activity, a daily commitment of looking and expressing her pleasure in what she saw by creating pictures. Although she tried all her life to keep herself and other Bordeaux artists working at the height of their endeavours, she never sought celebrity for herself. She worked for her own pleasure. In this exhibition catalogue we have the rare opportunity to see some of her best work. 

Jane Perry