Walberswick artist Wendy Sinclair has died aged 92

Wendy Sinclair, one of the founding members of the artist collective The Suffolk Group, has died aged 92.

Many will know Wendy from the delicate etchings, paintings and drawings she produced of the flora of the Suffolk countryside.

However, many others in Walberswick, where she lived for more than 60 years, will remember Wendy for her kind, gentle nature.

“She was always very welcoming to everyone, and very happy to meet new people,” said Wendy’s daughter, Joy. “At her funeral, so many people who told me that Mum was one of the first people to welcome them to the village

“She loved having people round for a cup of tea and a piece of cake.”

Wendy was known for her kind heart and welcoming nature. (Image: Joy Sinclair)

Although she was christened Dorothy, Wendy was always known by her middle name. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy was drawn to nature, and loved to create drawings, etchings and paintings of flowers. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy was born on June 26, 1932, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. She was christened Dorothy but went by her middle name, Wendy all her life.

This was, in a way, a family tradition: her father, Dr Francis Besley, was always known as Pat, while her mother, Dorothy Margaret, was always Peggy. Only Wendy’s younger brother, Piers, kept his given name.

Wendy’s father was a medical officer in the navy during the Second World War, which meant that the family moved around frequently during her childhood.

During the war, Wendy lived in Somerset, Exmoor and Northamptonshire, where her boarding school was evacuated for the remainder of the conflict.

A memorable summer was spent in Scotland, when her father was stationed on the Firth of the Forth. 

In 1945, the family returned to Suffolk, where they briefly lived before then war after Dr Besley bought into a GP practice in Halesworth.

Wendy pictured with her husband, Christopher Sinclair. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy trained as a sculptor at The Slade School of Fine Art. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Since was a little girl, Wendy loved art. She was deeply interested in nature and loved to create intricate drawings and paintings of the flowers which caught her eye. 

Wendy was determined to pursue her artistic talents as a career. Following school, she spent time in Switzerland, where she produced exquisite drawings of the local flora.

On returning to England, Wendy attended the Wimbledon College of Arts in London for her foundation year, before progressing to the internationally acclaimed Slade School of Fine Art.

Here, Wendy trained in the art of sculpture. She created many works during her time here, including the surround for a baptismal font.

At Wimbledon, Wendy had met Christopher Sinclair, the man who was to become her husband. 

Together, Wendy and Christopher welcomed four children. Their eldest, Joy, arrived in 1957, followed by three boys, Paul, Peter and Philip, who completed the family in 1968. 

The family lived for a time in Wimbledon before upping sticks to Luton in Bedfordshire, finally settling in Walberswick, where their youngest two children were born.

Wendy was a founding member of the artist collective The Suffolk Group. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy's 'Daisies and Hardy Geraniums' (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy was greatly inspired by the natural world around her. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Although her children kept her busy, Wendy was still finding the time to create as often as she could. Her wild and beautiful garden provided her with great inspiration, and she spent many hours creating drawings or etchings of plants in their natural state, for she preferred that to picking them and putting them in vases.

Occasionally, Wendy would also paint landscapes, using her art as a way of remembering the places she had visited. Joy remembered the odd occasion when she would receive a handmade postcard, showing a particularly striking view which had impressed her mother.

Wendy and Christopher always encouraged their children’s artistic inclinations. The family always made their own Christmas cards, which were sometimes be etchings, perhaps a lino print, or even one year, when Joy recalls cutting out vast quantities of paper Christmas trees to be made into over 100 cards.

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Wendy working in her beloved garden. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy loved her garden, and spent many hours tending to it. (Image: Joy Sinclair) Wendy's 'Narcisi and Cow Parsley' (Image: Joy Sinclair) Once the children were at school, Wendy and Christopher had more time to devote themselves to their art. Christopher had worked for several years as an art teacher, but in their later year, the couple began to make a living from their work.

Joining The Suffolk Group offered them the opportunities to exhibit their artwork in Walberswick, Southwold, and further afield in Suffolk.

Wendy continued to produce art right up until the final year of her life. She also continued to sell her work, with paintings being sold just two weeks before she passed away, in St Barnabas care home in Southwold.

Wendy died on October 2, aged 92. She is survived by her four children and three grandchildren.