painter, was born into an upper middle class family at Miram Piram in Victoria’s Wimmera district, daughter of James Henry Parkin and Mary Jane, née Martin. In 1918, when she was 12 the family moved to Melbourne and later studied at the National Gallery School under Bernard Hall.
In 1929 she was awarded the Travelling Scholarship and travelled to London where she studied at the Royal Academy School.
A journey to Paris introduced her to contemporary French art, and after working with André Lhote her style dramatically changed. After returning to Melbourne she held her first exhibition in 1933 just after she married Eric Stokes.
The demands of married life and the birth of her three children served to restrict her work until the 1960s. She did however maintain contact with George Bell and his Thursday night drawing classes. She also exhibited with the Contemporary Art Society.
In 1964, two years after her husband’s death, she held the first of several solo exhibitions
- Writers:
- Staff WriterNote: Heritage biography.
- Date written:
- 1995
- Last updated:
- 2019
