Professional Member Eona Murray Aitken
Professional MemberDetails
| First Name | Eona Murray |
| Last Name | Aitken |
| Username | eonamurrayaitken |
| Region | Edinburgh & The Lothians |
| Disciplines | Painting, Printmaking |
| Themes | Abstract, Landscape, Environment |
Statement
| Statement | As a result of my travels, my work gradually developed more flattened perspectives, often with muted colours. I began to incorporate motifs from fabrics and textural effects from landscapes and garden designs into abstract compositions. I have experimented with developing some of my paintings into Photopolymer Gravure or Solarplate prints. This involved a reassessment of tonal values and depth in the original painted images which were further transformed by the printing process. My current work is influenced by northern landscapes, in particular the geological features, textures and light of northwest Scotland, the outer Hebrides and Norway. A recent visit to Iceland has given me a heightened awareness of the dynamic processes at work in the earth’s crust. Although some of the mountain landscapes in Iceland closely resemble those of Scotland, the restless surfaces of the young volcanic and geothermal areas contrast dramatically with the more ancient, settled bedrock of Scotland.
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Biography
| Biography | While training as a Primary School Teacher at Jordanhill College, Glasgow, I became more interested in painting and the history of Art. Subsequently I gave up teaching in order to spend more time painting and studying. Based in Amsterdam for several years, I made various journeys to the Middle East, India and Japan. This led to studies of non-European cultures, giving me a broader understanding of cross-cultural influences and appropriation in historic and contemporary contexts. On returning to Scotland I became involved in horticulture, the history of gardens and botany. I also began researching my family involvement in the Turkey Red textile industry in the Vale of Leven and its connections with colonialism. More recent interests include Philosophy of Art, Archaeology and Geology, which have had a profound influence on how I interpret my surroundings. “Her work is quiet and understated, but at the same time compelling. Her concern for the history of ideas has caused her to produce a body of work which is both serious and unique in Scotland” Richard Demarco
Solo exhibitions: 1979 Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh 1981 Primrose Gallery, Haddington 1981 The Undercroft, Church of St. Andrew and St. George, George St., Edinburgh 1984 Maclaurin Gallery, Rozelle House, Ayr 1994 “Looking More Closely”, Maclaurin Gallery, Rozelle House, Ayr 2008 Library foyer, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 2-person exhibitions: 1983 Scott Gallery, Wilton Lodge Museum, Hawick 1984 Serendipity Gallery, Lundin Links, Fife 1985 Scottish Amicable Assurance Co., St. Vincent St., Glasgow 1993 Strathclyde University Staff Club, Glasgow 1994 Art Exposure Gallery, Glasgow
Selected mixed exhibitions: Flat Cat Gallery, Lauder, Borders Scottish Contemporary Art Exhibition, Falle Fine Art, St. Helier, Jersey Visual Arts Scotland, Members Exhibition, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries Nairn Open Art Exhibition, Book Fair, Nairn Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh Society of Scottish Artists, Prof. Members Exhibition, Glasgow Art Club Society of Scottish Artists, Prof. Members Exhibition, Eastwood Park Gallery, Glasgow Edinburgh Printmakers Winter Exhibition, Edinburgh Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, Glasgow “Fabric of the Land” Aberdeen University Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour, Edinburgh Compass Gallery Xmas Exhibition, Glasgow Paisley Art Institute, Paisley, Renfrewshire Society of Scottish Artists annual exhibition, Edinburgh Visual Arts Scotland annual exhibition, Edinburgh “30 x 30” Society of Scottish Artists, Edinburgh Awards: 1996 Anne Wishart Purchase Award, Society of Scottish Artists Collections: Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh Dr. Helen Cargill Thompson collection, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Private collections in UK, France, Sardinia and California
More images can be seen on the following websites: Visual Arts Scotland https://www.visualartsscotland.org/artist-biography/eona-murray-aitken Scotland’s Artists https://www.scotlandsartists.com/artist_profile2.php?recordID=71 Electronic music “Closely” composed by Peri Urban (aka Stewart Robinson) inspired by images from the Maclaurin Gallery Exhibition “Looking More Closely” and performed live at the private view. Now available here https://periurban.bandcamp.com/album/closely
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