- This book will accompany an exhibition of the same name which will be
held at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh from 3
December 2016 to 21 May 2017- Many of the works in this book have never
been published before- Features maps showing the exact locations where
the artist completed her works- Includes previously unpublished extracts
from the artist's letters- Detailed marketing plan being implemented to
promote the book widely. Includes a press release to broad range of
print and broadcast media- Bookmarks available for till - please let us
know how many you would like- National Galleries of Scotland Publishing
shortlisted as Saltire Scottish Publisher of the Year, 2016 (winner to
be announced in late November) Joan Eardley (1921-1963) is one of
Scotland's most admired artists. During a career that lasted barely
fifteen years, she concentrated on two very distinct themes: children in
the Townhead area of central Glasgow, and the fishing village of
Catterline, just south of Aberdeen, with its leaden skies and wild sea.
The contrast between this urban and rural subject matter is
self-evident, but the two are not, at heart, so very different. Townhead
and Catterline were home to tight-knit communities, living under extreme
pressure: Townhead suffered from overcrowding and poverty, and
Catterline from depopulation brought about by the declining fishing
industry. Eardley was inspired by the humanity she found in both places.
These two intertwining strands are the focus of this book, which looks
in detail at Eardley's working processes. Her method can be traced from
rough sketches and photographs through to pastel drawings and large oil
paintings. Identifying many of Eardley's subjects and drawing on
unpublished letters, archival records and interviews, the authors
provide a new and remarkably detailed account of Eardley's life and art.
