Documenting Life: Joan Eardley and Audrey Walker

About

A selection of paintings and drawings by Joan Eardley and her friend and photographer, Audrey Walker from Gracefield Arts Centre's permanent collection. Born in England in 1921, Joan Eardley returned to her mother's home in Scotland in 1939 and was a student at the Glasgow School of Art from 1940 — 43. Eardley's portrayal of the streets and children of Glasgow first brought her work to public attention in the 1950s, but it was her love affair with the tiny fishing village of Catterline and its surrounding landscape, near Aberdeen which brought her both creative frustration and artistic fulfilment. Joan met Audrey Walker, a talented violinist and photographer in 1952 through a mutual friend and their shared love of music sparked an immediate bond. Audrey documented Joan at work at her family's holiday home near Selkirk, at Joan's Glasgow studio and in the wild landscape of the North East. Her striking black and white photographs not only add up to a remarkable archive of her artist friend's life but also show Audrey's considerable talent for seeing a good picture. Gallery talk Wed 11 March 2009 2pm - 3pm The Power, the Passion and the Presence of Paint. This event is free but to book a place please contact the gallery on 01324 503789 Lys Hansen will give an illustrated talk on Joan Eardley's development, from her training at Glasgow School of Art through to her landscapes and seascapes at Catterline, and to her portrayal of the Samson family children from the lost world of the Glasgow tenements. She will discuss Eardley in relation to the Scottish landscape tradition, her influences and her legacy to date. Eardley's untimely death in 1963 at the age of 43 deprived Scotland and the larger world of art of a powerful presence in the language of paint. Her art works that remain with us stand, however, as sure evidence of an outstanding talent and a unique artist of vision.