NYAB Event - Agnes Murray “Approaching Slains Castle”

Agnes Murray “Approaching Slains Castle”

Tabla Rasa Gallery

This event has ended.

The Scottish manor house, Slains Castle is dramatically situated on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. Local lore tells that Dracula’s author Bram Stoker was inspired by Slains Castle when he visited nearby Cruden Bay, where one can still stay at the Kilmarnock Arms. The castle itself, however has long been in ruins – but it is also the inspiration for the exhibit, Approaching Slains Castle.

Images from Slains Castle first appeared in the work of artist, Agnes Murray, when she was asked to interpret the Rumi poem, Letters for the fine art publisher, Vincent FitzGerald. Letters is a poem about love, and the relation between human and divine love expressed through the poem resonated deeply with the artist. She had visited the ruins for the first time with her husband, his parents and their infant twins and had done a series of studies at that time. The contrast of the decaying human structures with the seemingly eternal natural setting of land, sea and sky was striking and the personal association with her new family struck a deep chord. Using the studies begun in Scotland she drew and hand-printed multi-color lithographs which formed the visual art interpretation of the poem and were bound together into an accordian-fold book. The association of a specific place and the images that eventually came together to form the artist’s book Letters happened through the creative collaboration of artist, translator, Zahra Partovi, calligrapher, Jerry Kelly, and the publisher, Vincent FitzGerald, resulting in a limited edition artist’s book that is included in numerous major collections.

Many years after the publication of Letters, images of Slains Castle began to reappear in the artist’s work. The current series of large monotypes and related works, Approaching Slains Castle began to take shape in 2010 as a major project, inspired by a return visit so many years later to the ruined site. One approaches on foot, from a long distance, though fields, through a vast sky, towards the sea. Its impact has not changed.

Large-scale monotypes form the core of the exhibit and the artist has used her printmaking expertise to develop a monotype technique to hand draw these unique prints, using large rollers as well as brushes as drawing tools. Vantage points in the images are close up and at a distance, enclosing and open-skied. Despite the ruined condition, shapes appear that evoke a house’s purpose of sheltering – and sheltering daydreams. Yet, despite origins that are deeply personal and images that can stand on form alone, increasing levels of meaning will emerge in works of art. The grandiose structure of the old social order manifested in piles of stone could not be sustained.

Agnes Murray is an artist/printmaker whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in curated and juried exhibitions. Solo exhibits of the artist’s work have been held at the Southampton Civic Centre Art Gallery (England), the Frederic Remington Art Museum, Ogdensburg, NY, and the Roland Gibson Gallery, Potsdam State College (SUNY). She received Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) fellowship awards in 2005 and 2014. Over the years the artist has specialized in works on paper, including lithographs, intaglio prints, monotypes, artist’s books, drawings, photographs, and watercolors, and also continues to develop series of oil paintings.

Media

• Prints

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