Gladys Emilie Fell was born in Warwick on 17 July 1906, the daughter of a nurseryman, John Barlow Fell and his wife Emilie Katrine Edvardine née Sundstrup. Her sister Elsie Maud (1904-89) and she were encouraged in their artistic pursuits by their parents. They were among the first students of the pottery classes at the Warwick Technical College and High School, which were instituted by Charles Astley in 1920.
Fell’s work is a typical of the product of Astley’s pottery school as it is press moulded – the students added the carved decorative details. The restricted colour range is typical too; mulberry, brown, red and green. The use of three colours in the glazing of the poppy vase in the Queensland Art Gallery Collection is highly unusual as all other items from the school identified to date have a single-colour glaze. Low, very shallow float bowls are extremely typical of the school.
Her work was included in a display the Warwick Technical College contributed to the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association Exhibition, Brisbane in 1923 before it was forwarded to London for inclusion in the Technical College Section of the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley Stadium, London in 1924.
Fell taught art to primary school students. She married Albert Reginald Palmer on 1 January 1955 and died in Brisbane on 18 June 1985.
Queensland Art Gallery: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage
- Writers:
- Cooke, Glenn R.
Note: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
- Date written:
- 2003
- Last updated:
- 2011
