* ETHEL WALKER (SCOTTISH b. 1941) DARK SAND, ISLAY
oil on board, signed, titled labels verso framed and under glass image size 59cm x 62cm, overall size 74cm x 77cm Handwritten label verso Label verso: the Stenton Gallery, Stenton Note: Ethel Walker is a Scottish landscape painter. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1941, she studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art between 1959 and 1964. “When you first see Ethel Walker’s work, you would be forgiven for believing it is all about the ‘moment’, the immediacy of the light, the rain, the clouds passing across, the reflection but, in truth, it is so much more than this. It is about a sense of place. A sense of being in the place, as well as the place being part of the history of the landscape. The grandeur, the majesty, the ancient landforms, appearing, and disappearing with the everchanging weather. It is also about a sense of light. Skies dominate Ethel’s work, and in her own words “The light on the land can appear to change contours, solid can seem unsubstantial, and air, sea and stone merge into an interdependent whole.” To create works of art the way Ethel does, and has done for over 60 years, takes courage, humbleness, respect for her environment, and overall an extraordinary gift of daring to work with what is essential. To strip back to an almost abstract sense of what is there, what she sees, what she feels, and always staying true to the concept ‘less is more’.” Sarah Macdonald-Brown. The Thackeray Gallery (London) has represented Ethel Walker since 1982. "What a joy to be introduced to the works of Ethel Walker. She is, quite simply, a real artist. Her pictures achieve what all good artists seek: to impress you with her technical ability but - much more importantly - to stir your emotions and take you to a different place, to show you the world as you have never seen it before. She is herself, as all good artists must be, not derivative or imitative. She paints what she sees and her skill as a painter is as sharp and developed as her eye is true." John Humphreys, broadcaster 2007. "In Scotland, the speedy part of nature is the sky...daring the artist to grasp a visual instant before the light changes yet again... But I think that the critic who praised Ethel for 'weather paintings' underestimated her. She is aware that these are not just elemental but 'cultural' landscapes. This is the way Ethel Walker sees when she paints. Her strength is that she can comprehend these processes in a single, profoundly exciting work of art." Neal Ascherson, journalist and author 2003. "The viewer feels Walker's closeness to nature, the wind on our faces, a hint of rain in the air conveyed with a real sense of intimacy. Is it maybe because we see a continuity with the tradition of Scottish painting? Walker's vast skies remind me of McCulloch, McTaggart and Wingate who captured the drama and often violence of the Scottish landscape. Walker continues in this tradition and I find this link with the past strangely satisfying... Walker's landscapes have a sincerity and historical background which I find honest and inspiring. Is it maybe her ability to mix traditional subjects with a contemporary handling of paint? The handling of the paint is entirely modern. There is an understated elegance about many of the works... thin paint beautifully applied - masterpieces of understatement." Julian Halsby, author 'Dictionary of Scottish Painters 1600 to the Present'
[ translate ]oil on board, signed, titled labels verso framed and under glass image size 59cm x 62cm, overall size 74cm x 77cm Handwritten label verso Label verso: the Stenton Gallery, Stenton Note: Ethel Walker is a Scottish landscape painter. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1941, she studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art between 1959 and 1964. “When you first see Ethel Walker’s work, you would be forgiven for believing it is all about the ‘moment’, the immediacy of the light, the rain, the clouds passing across, the reflection but, in truth, it is so much more than this. It is about a sense of place. A sense of being in the place, as well as the place being part of the history of the landscape. The grandeur, the majesty, the ancient landforms, appearing, and disappearing with the everchanging weather. It is also about a sense of light. Skies dominate Ethel’s work, and in her own words “The light on the land can appear to change contours, solid can seem unsubstantial, and air, sea and stone merge into an interdependent whole.” To create works of art the way Ethel does, and has done for over 60 years, takes courage, humbleness, respect for her environment, and overall an extraordinary gift of daring to work with what is essential. To strip back to an almost abstract sense of what is there, what she sees, what she feels, and always staying true to the concept ‘less is more’.” Sarah Macdonald-Brown. The Thackeray Gallery (London) has represented Ethel Walker since 1982. "What a joy to be introduced to the works of Ethel Walker. She is, quite simply, a real artist. Her pictures achieve what all good artists seek: to impress you with her technical ability but - much more importantly - to stir your emotions and take you to a different place, to show you the world as you have never seen it before. She is herself, as all good artists must be, not derivative or imitative. She paints what she sees and her skill as a painter is as sharp and developed as her eye is true." John Humphreys, broadcaster 2007. "In Scotland, the speedy part of nature is the sky...daring the artist to grasp a visual instant before the light changes yet again... But I think that the critic who praised Ethel for 'weather paintings' underestimated her. She is aware that these are not just elemental but 'cultural' landscapes. This is the way Ethel Walker sees when she paints. Her strength is that she can comprehend these processes in a single, profoundly exciting work of art." Neal Ascherson, journalist and author 2003. "The viewer feels Walker's closeness to nature, the wind on our faces, a hint of rain in the air conveyed with a real sense of intimacy. Is it maybe because we see a continuity with the tradition of Scottish painting? Walker's vast skies remind me of McCulloch, McTaggart and Wingate who captured the drama and often violence of the Scottish landscape. Walker continues in this tradition and I find this link with the past strangely satisfying... Walker's landscapes have a sincerity and historical background which I find honest and inspiring. Is it maybe her ability to mix traditional subjects with a contemporary handling of paint? The handling of the paint is entirely modern. There is an understated elegance about many of the works... thin paint beautifully applied - masterpieces of understatement." Julian Halsby, author 'Dictionary of Scottish Painters 1600 to the Present'
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