A Tribute in Memory of Audrey Patricia Roberts
Audrey was born on 10th July 1925 and sadly passed away on 13th April 2026. Her funeral on 22nd May was well attended by her family, friends, members of our art group and the Berrylands Art Group.
Many of our long standing members will recall Audrey with great fondness and respect for the years of support and guidance that she gave to our group, but not just to our group! She founded the Berrylands Art Group and our Chessington Art Group, teaching for over 30 years until the remarkable age of 94.
She discovered her passion for art in the late 1930’s and went on to attend evening classes, attended Art College for 4 years gaining an A level “A grade” and received private tuition from Leonard Boden, an artist who had painted Queen Elizabeth ll. Audrey exhibited her work locally and in London working across the mediums of oils, watercolours, pastels and charcoal.
In classes Audrey was happy to let students work in any medium and with any subject matter. She would move from student to student and pass on her knowledge and passions for observation, technical skills, and composition based on her own skills and experiences.
As one of her students I once painted a “moonscape” and decided to randomly place some wispy tree branches in front of the moon to add depth. Audrey asked, “What types of tree are they, and what time of year is it?” I couldn’t provide satisfactory answers and was advised to go and study real trees throughout the seasons. She taught us to truly observe the world, not just casually look. In translating in-depth observations into portraits Audrey was able to explain how the skin tones of people from different ethnic origins would call for hints of purple or red to be used. Skin isn’t just “pink”.
During some of her classes Audrey, or “volunteers”, would adopt fixed poses for a brief period or several minutes as students tried to quickly capture the essence of a pose. A memorable moment was when Audrey adopted a ballerina pose that prompted a complementary comment from a class member. Audrey explained that she and her daughters used to practice together and demonstrated a high kick where “her leg went straight up in the air and nearly hit her head” said one class member. Stunned amazement from the class!
After a serious fall in December 2019 Audrey left the home she had lived in for nearly 57 years and moved into care homes. But she was not one to rest! On one of my visits to see her she explained that the gardeners were not doing a great job so she became involved in organising the re-planting of the borders. She was even interviewed on television and radio about her life in care homes and her lifelong passion for art and teaching.
Audrey will be sadly missed, but her influence lives on in the memories and artwork of those she inspired over the years.
RIP Audrey. One of Audrey's Portraits.
