[From the catalogue-in-progress for “Landscapes & Livestock,” a loan exhibition for Agincourt Homecoming in the Fall of 2015]
SEMMENCE, John Oswald [1930–1985]
House seen through Pollard Trees
1966
oil on paper / 10 1/8 inches by 7 1/2 inches
Scottish painter John Oswald Semmence was born at Kincardine O’Neil, one of the oldest villages in the valley of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire. Semmence attended Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen during 1949-52, where he gained a travelling scholarship to study in Europe.
John Semmence was my brother-in-law. He lived in Paris in the 50’s and had American clients. The painting seems to be his neighbourhood in Kent England. I have few of his paintings.
Hello, Mrs Semmence. Thanks very much for your comment on the JOS painting in our collection. I trust you may have done a bit of exploring on this site and discovered that Agincourt, Iowa is a fictional community, an academic exercise created to explore the relationship between place-making and story-telling. I along with my friends, colleagues, students, artists, musicians and others have created Agincourt and many of its citizens.
The community library has space for a gallery, so it became natural to build the collection hanging there and use each peace to tell some aspect of community history. Most of the pieces in the “Community Collection” come from my own collection or have been purchased on eBay, the on-line auction site. That’s were we came upon your brother-in-law’s woodcut. I would certainly enjoy learning more about him if you’re willing to take the time. In return, I’ll be happy to make a better scan of our piece for your own use.
If you would enjoy further correspondence, my email is plains.architecture@gmail.com.
Regards,
Ron Ramsay