i: Artist of the Month
Morag Donkin @moragdonkin This month we are nurturing an emerging talent. Born in Edinburgh in 1990, Morag Donkin graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA Hons Painting degree in 2013. At the end of her first year of study, in 2011, she was awarded the RSA Keith Prize for best work by a student in the ECA’s annual open exhibition. In her second year, 2012, Morag won the Fleming-Wyfold Award. Since graduating, she has exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery, the Fleming Collection, Edinburgh Filmhouse, The Sutton Gallery, The Open Eye and Edinburgh Fine Art Library, and is now a member of the Scottish Arts Club.
Morag writes: I am a landscape painter, and I am particularly drawn to trees. I often paint trees as one would paint a portrait— exploring the character and taking time to get the detail right. Colour composition is important to me, too. I like to create an atmospheric aesthetic, and use rich layering to do so. In the last couple of years, I have started painting predominantly in acrylic. This medium has allowed me to make work that that has stronger depth of colour and to utilise organic mark-making. As a new mother, the concept of nurture has taken on new meaning. I've started thinking about how I pass on my appreciation for the natural world. How can I build connections for him to the woodlands I love and study? I hope that through experiencing nature together, the memories will encourage a yearning in him, so that he continues to grow his own connection to the outdoors. So much of life is an indoor experience these days. Our need for nature us eternal and beneficial to the human spirit. My work brings the outdoors in, but pales in comparison to immersing oneself in nature. Morag’s painting can be purchased via her website: www.moragdonkin.co.uk, and she sells a range of greeting cards through her Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/moragdonkindesign
