Maurice Sheppard

Maurice Sheppard PPRWS NEAC

Maurice Sheppard, PPRWS, NEAC, MA(RCA) was born at Llangwm in Pembrokeshire in 1947. He is the first Welsh President of the Royal Watercolour Society (Founded 1804) and its youngest President since 1819.

Representing Pembrokeshire youth as a scholar to the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales at Newtown in 1965, he was to win the Geoffrey Crawshay Memorial Travel Scholarship from the University of Wales at Cardiff in 1973. His 1993 Borderlands watercolour – “The Golden Valley” was seen worldwide in Lord Attenborough’s movie – “Shaddowlands.” Taught by Ronald Lowe at Haverfordwest Grammar School, he went on to study at Loughborough College of Art (including film with Rodney Wilson) 1966; Kingston College of Art where Alfred Heyworth RWS influenced his drawing, and Wilfred Fairclough RE and Lesley Duxbury RE taught him etching (1967 – 1970).

A scholarship to the Royal College of Art – Painting School (1970 – 1973), led him to be tutored in succession by, Robert Buhler RA, Donald Hamilton Fraser RA and Ruskin Spear RA. Friendships with Professor Carel Weight CH CBE RA, Sir Roger de Grey PRA, Sir Patrick Proctor RA and Robert Medley CBE RA also stem from these years. Sheppard became an Executor and Trustee of Carel Weight. He won a British Institution Award from the Royal Academy in 1971 and a David Murray Landscape Award in 1972 when his mentor/tutor was Olwyn Bowey RA.

Elected to the Royal Watercolour Society in 1974, he became a Trustee from 1984 – 1995, serving as President from 1984 – 1987, and retiring to Honorary Status in 2002. In the year 2000 he was elected to Membership of the New English Art Club. Exhibiting oils at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition at the instigation of Ruskin Spear in 1971, he has sent pieces every year up to 2009.

Sheppard has had more than 60 oils selected and hung during these years.There are works in the Victoria and Albert Museum; National Museum and Art Galleries of Wales, Cardiff; Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery; Carlisle Museum and Art Gallery – Tullie House; Beecroft Museum and Art Gallery, Southend on Sea; Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne; Topsham Museum ( Lady Frances Stevens Bequest), Exeter; Glynn Vivian Museum and Art Gallery, Swansea; Contemporary Art Society for Wales; National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth; University of Wales – Aberystwyth; Royal Watercolour Society – Diploma Collection, London. Amongst Corporate Collections are – Blue Circle Group (Portland Cement Company); Croda International; Canary Wharf Development Company; Cloke & Co; and the MBNA International Bank of America who own 11 works from the years 1974 – 1995. In October 2007 the “Casgliad Maurice Sheppard PPRWS Collection” was founded when the artist’s “Private Collection” was presented to the National Library of Wales, at Aberystwyth.

This consists of more than 600 pieces of drawing, watercolour and print by some 210 artists working during the years 1750 to date. There are 130 drawings by Sheppard from the years 1962 – 2005.