Mary Morrison is from the Outer Hebrides and much of her work draws from the space, light and elemental qualities which are unique to the islands.
Her work suggests liminal spaces, edges, tidal lines – always shifting. She evokes a sense of place and natural forms through the use of materials which include oil, pigment and beeswax. Fluid paint effects often combine with graphic elements and annotation relating to mapping, measuring and music, creating an additional visual language and a tension within the paintings.
Morrison has recently returned to the Isle of Harris, where she grew up, after living away for most of her adult life. This move, alongside significant personal and professional changes, has prompted subtle but important shifts in her practice. Although Morrison’s work has always been shaped by this landscape and their connection to it, they had previously engaged with it from afar, through a lens of dislocation. Now, immersed in the landscape, Morrison is exploring layers of identity connected to place, family, heritage, the Gaelic language, and community. These influences inform the work both directly and indirectly, prompting a re-evaluation and a conscious desire to develop a practice that is deeply rooted in place.
Born on the Isle of Harris, Morrison has recently returned home and now works from her studio there. She studied for a Joint MA (Hons) in Fine Art at Edinburgh University and Edinburgh College of Art, before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Painting at Edinburgh College of Art in 1991.