‘Time and Place’ is Maria Burton’s second solo with the gallery and it is a truly stunning body of work. Maria’s work is so special in the way it captures the spirit and wild nature of our beautiful Lake District. Her bold and surprising use of colour, energetic brushwork and mesmerising skies will capture your heart.
“As I paint, colours and brush strokes change in rhythm, strength and complexity of layers. These layers reflect the moments of memory from being fully alive in nature.They are born from being on the fells, by the sea, sketching on location and exploration of ideas in the studio”
“ Following intensive study under Martin Kinnear of the Norfolk Painting School and Jane Couroussopoulos at the Leith School of Art, Edinburgh, ‘Time and Place’ makes my own connection between painting, energy, life, time and place. It is more than just a record of somewhere, it of wonderful places and, with Kinnear’s influence ringing in my ears - the work is not of a place, it is about place. A sense of place is different to a detailed realistic representation of the place, it emerges throughout each piece and develops from experience and deep respect for nature. Hopefully, it is a sense of place that many will understand, even recognise in their own way.
Add to that philosophy, Kinnear’s idea and his translation of ideas from other masters of painting, that “observed colour never surprises” and I am left with a fascination to explore different languages with the brush, the rag, the clay shaper! Thus, the work may be diverse - there will always be work reflective of atmospheric skies - you can’t paint northern landscapes without being in awe of moving skies - and there will be work of colour and of abstraction.
Some pieces will speak of weather, dramatic light, movement , some will speak of a gamut of colour seen over perhaps a number of seasons but held in one work. Some will speak a different language where the essential elements have been pared down carefully, slowly, with deep intent, where each block of colour, line or mark holds significant meaning yet is deeply ambiguous. Somewhere in all of the pieces, I hope for some ambiguity in order that the observer needs to ask a question of the painting - then there is connection, a treasured thing in the world of art.
As I paint, colours and brush strokes change in rhythm, strength and complexity of layers. These layers reflect the moments of memory from being fully alive in nature.They are born from being on the fells, by the sea, sketching on location and exploration of ideas in the studio. At times, greys are the most powerful quiet areas as they hold the smallest of bright chroma in the highest esteem. At times, vivid colour commands the performance.”
“I utilise different languages in different works and am always looking to find a new way of speaking about nature. I am humbled by it completely, in awe but always, at home.”
