Yvonne Tocher

Yvonne was born Yvonne Joyce Edmunds in Rugby on 29 February 1920 

   Two of Yvonne’s aunts Mabel and Bertha became artists with Mabel becoming an art teacher and Bertha went to the London School of Art.

Yvonne had four older siblings Vera (b 1903), Phyllis (Biddy) (b 1905) and twins Karen and Tom (b 1910). Yvonne was always called Joy by her family. At school Yvonne said ‘Art was the only thing I ever excelled at’.

All the sisters took up art when in their 40’s and many happy times were spent amongst the sisters discussing their latest works, but it was universally agreed that Yvonne was the greatest talent.

In 1941 she married James Tocher a Production engineer who had moved down from Aberdeen to work at GEC Rugby, and this was where they met. Together they worked hard and moved to Birmingham where they both worked for GKN and Yvonne took a part time art class.

Daughter Shena was born in 1948 and Yvonne gave up work and son Mark arrived in 1951. James’s career progressed well and in 1953 he joined Lockheed and they moved to Cloister Crofts in Leamington Spa, which with a young family was one of Yvonne’s happiest times. As the family started growing up in 1957 Yvonne started art classes at the Mid-Warwickshire School of Art where a group of them Kath McGregor, Mona Chesterfield, Joan Neeves, Sylvia Lacey, Miss Hillson, Eileen Harris and Blodwin xxxx and xxxx became lifelong friends.

At the art classes Yvonne loved the challenge of different media and she soon became highly competent in sculpturing, pastels, oils, charcoal, and pen. Although Yvonne went on to do many wonderful watercolours she always found that media the greatest challenge for her impressionist style. In 1962 Yvonne had two of her sculptures accepted by The society of portrait Sculptures for their annual exhibition in London’

Although her art was still principally a hobby a few pictures were now being sold through society exhibitions, Yvonne had done some pastel portraits and these had been much admired resulting in a few commissions being received from friends and acquaintances. It was some of these pastel works that resulted in Yvonne in 1976 being elected a member of the Pastel Society in London.

In 1971 James who was now a senior manager at Lockheed was unexpectedly made redundant when some new directors arrived from Chrysler moving in there own management teams. This led to Yvonne and James having to sell there beloved house in Leamington and in 1972 they moved to Newtown-Unthank near Desford in Leicester. 

This change in their circumstances coincided with Yvonne who was now a member of the Leicester Art Society beginning to get her work acknowledged in the press and admirers including some from as far afield as the US would visit her house and purchase her works.

In 1979 Yvonne and James looked at opening a studio/gallery in Stow on the Wold but eventually they fell in love with Hillview in Longborough which had space for a nice studio. Yvonne became an active member of both Longborough and Moreton-in-the-Marsh art groups and as her reputation grew, her pictures became very sort after at local art galleries and society exhibitions, with her larger works retailing at high prices

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In 1984 Yvonne and her friend Bruce Hepburn held their own exhibition at the Lygon Arms in Broadway it was a great success and all of Yvonne’s 66 works were sold.

Unfortunately James passed away after another heart attack in 1989 and this resulted in Yvonne throwing herself even more into her painting and she took on teaching roles at both the Longborough and Moreton art groups where she loved spending time with her friends.

Over the next fifteen years Yvonne was producing in excess of 60 pictures per year which provided her with a healthy income, but it was the challenge of succeeding in capturing something special which was Yvonne’s driving force. Whole weeks would be spent trying to master something new in preference to producing less challenging but more sellable items.

In 2004 following a lengthy spell in hospital Yvonne agreed to move to a more practical retirement home at Lime Tree Village near Rugby so she could be nearer her Shena and Mark. Painting was becoming more difficult as she found it difficult to stand for long and of course she was missing the painting comradeship of her Cotswold art groups. Eventually any painting became difficult and a live-in carer helped her keep her independence for a while. In 2010 she had to move into Benn Nursing Home near Rugby where surrounded by some of her paintings she continues to receive admiration from staff and visitors.

“My basic approach is to take the original reality and by the use of colour and technique, evoke effects which are visually pleasing and retain the permanent interest. The essence of visual art to me is to give pleasure and if my work achieves this in some measure then I am happy.”

Re teaching:

“My aim is to inspire, give constructive criticism and encourage experimentation and the development of members individual styles.”

There is much more to painting than producing pretty pictures I want to paint light and atmosphere two very illusive ingredients and after many years of painting I am still struggling to achieve my aim. Although sometimes foolishly I think I have achieved it only to find I have been deluded.”

“When painting in oil I begin directly with the colour, no drawing, no under-painting, I work when ever possible on the spot and I find by working this way I am more likely to get the true and sometimes intense feeling of the subject. I particularly go for atmosphere, I like to feel the air in a picture and the sun and the wind, or to experience the coldness of a snowy day.”

“With watercolours I usually work in my studio. My challenge here is to keep the painting wet and moist and to allow the white paper to give the painting the luminous quality which is to me vital in a good watercolour.”

“With pastels I like to let the paper show through which gives the picture true harmony. I think a good pastel should have a lot of the paper showing and that is my constant aim as it is very easy to overwork the subject.”