Victor Noble Rainbird

Victor Noble Rainbird (12 December 1887 – 1936) was a painter, stained glass artist and illustrator.

Rainbird was born in North Shields, United Kingdom. He attended King's College (now Newcastle University), Newcastle upon Tyne, where he distinguished himself and won several prizes. His pictures were included in a government exhibition which toured Australia, New Zealand and Canada. He later attended the Royal Academy Schools where he twice won Silver Medals as well as the Landseer Scholarship.

After World War I he practised as a professional artist in North Shields and exhibited works at the Artists of the Northern Counties exhibitions at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and also at the Royal Academy. He made several trips to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and a large proportion of his work is of continental subjects. Common works that Rainbird executed many times are of Dutch fisherfolk, the sea and seafront at and around North Shields, and impressions of Rouen and Amiens. Rarer subjects include stained glass window images, portraits and still life (flowers).

It appears that Rainbird used his paintings to pay his way through life and often seemed to have done paintings to 'pay for his supper'. His work often appears at auctions worldwide, but most commonly at the Newcastle upon Tyne auction house "Anderson and Garland", where an average watercolour work of 10 x 14 inches would make around GBP 200 (2006) in their quarterly auctions of Fine Arts.

The only surviving example of stained glass work by the artist can be found in Papa Kirk, on the island of Papa Stour in Shetland. It was commissioned to commemorate six Papa men who were lost in World War I and was fitted in 1921. The window depicts Jesus calming a storm.

Between 1917 and 1933, Victor Noble Rainbird lived at 71 West Percy Street, North Shields. The house still has a blue commemorative plaque marking his residence.

References

* [http://www.johnnicholsonfineart.co.uk John Nicholson and Dunelm Fine Art Gallery]
*"The artists of Northumbria: A dictionary of Northumberland and Durham painters, draughtsmen and engravers, born 1647–1900". ISBN 0903858002