Our Ponckle connection

Ponckle palette St Ives

 

When we relocated to our current gallery space in 2021 it was particularly apt the the artist Ponckle had worked from the same gallery from 1985 -2005.  Ponckle Fletcher 'the cat painter of St Ives' was a prolific artist & she lived/worked in St Ives for any years.  Those of you who are not from the area may not be aware of her work so I thought I would share a little information.

postcard of Ponckles gallery on the square in St Ives
image of gallery on the square, St Ives    Plaque for Ponckle the cat painter St Ives

 

We were lucky enough to meet Ponckle on our first ever visit to St Ives, before we moved here ourselves.  She was then working from a studio in Whites Old Workshops on Porthmeor Road if we remember correctly.  She was certainly a memorable character &  it took us quite a while to select a painting - being big cat fans it was difficult to choose!  We think this was one of the first ever original paintings we bought together & it still hangs in our cottage today.

 

 

A brief history:  Born in Chingford in 1934 the oldest of 5, she explored her artistic side from the start.  She married at the early age of 17 to Ken Moule, who was responsible for the name 'Ponckle'.  However she moved to Paris, divorced & then remarried, in 1964, to photographer Trevor Clark.  She had 2 sons & they all moved to Mallorca in 1969.  7 years later she was back in England & divorced again.

It was 1978 when she moved to St Ives with her sons; Gavin & Jack.  She opened up a little gallery in her house on Norway Lane before the move to Island Square.  Ponckle became well known for her cat paintings, selling many from her gallery.  The gallery itself she embellished with flowers & plants on the terrace making it a very colourful place.

We are unsure of the year but on a return visit to Cornwall Tim & I managed to visit Ponckle for afternoon tea in her home.  Somewhere I have a photograph of Tim 'draped in cats' -  pre-digital so an actual print stuffed in a box probably.

In 2004 Ponckle suffered a stroke which impacted her physically.  She sold the gallery & then painted from her home.  She very sadly died of pneumonia in 2012.  You can read her obituary here

Ponckle mermaid print 
Sharon McSwiney holding a Ponckle wooden cat plaque  

     

We like to think Ponckle would approve of how we have the gallery now.  There is definitely a bit of a 'cat theme' which often prompts conversations with visitors about our own feline family & of course about Ponckle, whom lots of people fondly remember.

Over the years we have gradually been trying to collect a few Ponckle pieces especially as it would be nice to bring them back to the gallery.  We have several pencil drawings, a couple of wooden plaques & a plaster cat figure!

Ponckle pencil drawing   Ponckle pencil drawing of St Ives with cats

  

  Ponckle fish restaurant drawing
Ponckle cat sketch
Cat sketch St Ives by Ponckle
Wooden cat plaque by Ponckle  Plaster b&w cat by Ponckle

 

Ponckle cat painter book   Page showing Ponckles gallery from Ponckle cat painter book

 

There is a great book 'Ponckle The Cat Painter of St Ives' which we have - I believe we bought it from the Tate some years ago.  This book includes more details about her life & lots of photographs/images of artwork.  It is now out of print but copies do pop up on Ebay or Amazon from time to time.  We keep our copy at the gallery so do ask if you would like to see it next time you visit.

  

When having a look online for information we found this short video on YouTube 'Ponckle remembered' which is worth a look...watch it here  There is also a little article written in 2014 here

 

Last week we purchased a selection of greetings cards which feature our gallery & several recognisable places around St Ives.  Most of these were printed by St Ives Printing & Publishing Company.  We are always on the look out for more Ponckle pieces so let us know if you find any for sale!

Ponckle postcards3 Ponckle postcards
Our most recent bigger purchase though was this wonderful wooden tabby cat plaque which reminded us of a cat Taboo who sadly passed away in August 2023.  We haven't decided if she will live at the gallery or with us at home yet.
wooden tabby cat plaque by Ponckle

5 comments

  • Hello,
    So great to know that you are carrying on the Ponkle tradition. I would love to call in and see you but we won’t be able to get to Cornwall until next summer.
    I own a large self portrait of Fred Yates which the seller told me is in the book that theClark boys published about their mother. I am dying to know if my painting is there and frustrated as I cannot find an affordable copy of the book.
    Can I be cheeky and ask if you could look in your copy and let me know? The painting shows Fred dressed in red and blue, painting at his easel.
    Thank you for reading this,
    Best wishes,
    Anna

    Ann Novy
  • Hello,
    Wonderful to read your article and to see how you are respecting Ponkles memory.
    I am one of many trying to get a copy of Ponkle’s book written by her sons. I noticed that you have a copy. I own a large painting of Fred Yates which, I understand, he gave to Ponkle in exchange for one of her paintings. Someone told me that this self portrait of Fred is in the book but I have no way of finding out.
    I am dying to know and wondered if I could be cheeky and ask if you had noticed it.
    I would love to buy a Ponkle painting and will call in to see the gallery next time we come to Cornwall, maybe next year.
    Thank you for reading this,
    Best wishes,
    Anna

    Anna novy
  • I loved Ponckles paintings from the moment I first laid eyes them , I have four original paintings and one print , my favourite is the largest , three women dancing the CanCan with her favourite cat Claude joining in , it’s a joy to look at 🥰

    Linda Harris
  • Love this! I have a couple of Ponckle prints I brought from the great lady herself. I’ll definitely look at the book next time I’m in ( been trying to get a copy for ages)

    Lisa elliott
  • What wonderful information and I love the wooden cat that is so like Taboo. Perhaps it could be with you at home in the winter months and at your gallery in the summer?
    All the best.
    Chris x

    Chris Pawlowski

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