This is a stunning little painting by the Scottish artist, Irene Halliday.
Irene Halliday was born in 1931 in Kingsmuir, Scotland.
She attended Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee between 1948 and 1953, studying under Alberto Morrocco. From 1956-1979 she worked at Didsbury College of Education becoming Head of Art and Design. She spent an academic year as a visiting professor at State University College, Buffalo, New York State from 1972 to 1973. She left full-time teaching at Manchester Polytechnic in 1979 but continued to teach summer schools in Alston, Hull, Lancashire and Harrogate.
Irene Halliday was elected to the Royal Society of Watercolourists in 1955.
She has exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and elsewhere in England, Scotland and the United States.
In 2002, Halliday returned to live in Arbroath where she was inspired by the sea coast and land around her home.
This is a fabulous painting by her which has been painted in thick water-based gouache paint on board. It is an amazing abstracted view of a Scottish harbour, possibly Arbroath.
The composition shows a misty moonlight scene taken from the deck of a fishing boat. To the right-hand side is a tall mast - with a fish net hanging over it. There are brightly coloured abstract shapes representing sea creatures - including a pale orange starfish.
In the centre, there are two large white globes which represent glass fishing floats caught in a headlight. They are very reflective and also contain more abstract images of sea creatures in more pastel shades. In the distance is the dark silhouette of a fishing boat or trawler - it is all lit up and surrounded by a halo of glowing light with white, yellow and sugar pink shades.
The whole scene is embellished with Halliday's use of bold colours and the application of the paint with dry brushwork - is often reminiscent of pastels rather than water-based paints.
Interestingly, this lovely work by her appears to be unsigned - which is unusual as she would often sign a lot of her works in pencil in darker corners - perhaps it is just under the mount to the lower right. It is its original frame chosen by Halliday and has her address label from her Manchester days on the reverse.
The work is beautifully presented and comes with a cream-coloured window mount and with a dull matt silver tone frame, as photographed.
This is certainly an amazing and special work by his fine artist - I will certainly be most sad to part with it.
The muted tones and pale colours built up using watercolour and thick opaque gouache paints are quite typical of her work.
Image size: 25.5 x 39 cm. Frame size: 40 x 52.5 cm.
Her work regularly goes through prestigious Scottish auction houses such as Lyon and Turnbull and Bonhams. This work has obviously been on show at an exhibition - as there seems to be a catalogue number on the label on the reverse.
It is nicely presented the board is unmounted - but set against a cream-coloured backing board and a vintage silver-tone frame. It is ready to hang on your wall.
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