Mary f Harrison Cheshire, United Kingdom

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Granny artist with an inquisitive nature, exploring her inner world with vigour, line and colour, to produce vibrant compositions, many based on memories of landscape, here, and elsewhere.

Having been trained as a fine artist and then as a medical illustrator, first in Sydney then in Manchester, my earlier working career was all concentrated on portrayal from life. My personal practice only started to develop in the 90’s, and, oddly enough, involved much Lifedrawing. I found this the best exercise for developing gestural markmaking. With an increasing desire to develop my work as sustainably as possible, and living in close proximity to Normandy beaches in the early part of the 2000’s, I gathered flotsam and jetsam with enthusiasm to make various sorts of constructions and drawings. Drawing became my main passion and has remained so.

Now using only handmade Khadi paper, clutch pencil loaded with 2B leads, and handmade watercolours, I hope I’m keeping much of my immediate environment as clear of carbon as possible. My reward has come in the delight I often experience when working with these lovely materials. The friction that occurs between the paper and the graphite, if I let the pencil find its own way, leads to some exciting lines and forms which I could never conceive myself. Colour, which is my second love, often insists on making its presence felt and arrives more or less at the same time as the title. The titles have become a part of the image in a way never anticipated, and I welcome them.

After more than 50 years as a working artist I feel immensely grateful for having arrived at this point - of being in touch with art and my inner self. It has been a long haul, and involved raising a family, teaching and more studying, reading and research. It feels worth it.