GRACE MARAN

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a painter based in the Scottish Borders, with BA (Hons) degrees in Painting from Edinburgh College of Art and Fashion Design from Heriot-Watt University, reflecting a background in fine art and design. My practice spans painting, drawing and printmaking, and is informed by Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism, alongside a focus on developing my use of oil paint.

Beginning with observational sketches, I develop large-scale drawings that form the basis of my paintings. Composition is central to my work, balancing observational drawing with expressive paint handling and a visual language informed by illustration, particularly in its use of detail, stylisation and composition. Through gestural brushwork, I move between figurative and abstract forms, building and disrupting the image.

Working from a single source drawing, I create multiple outcomes; my reduction lino prints emphasise line and shape, extending this exploration of abstraction and representation.

Recent work explores animals through close observation and painterly experimentation. I am currently developing a recurring mythological creature that emerges through this process, existing between the real and the imagined.

I am also part of an artists collective called Marangerie, @themarangerie