22 Artists&Illustrators
spendherdaystravellingaboutonhorses,tractorsand
boatsinsearchofuniqueandspectacularlocations.
It’sperhapsthisearlyexposuretothemagnificent
landscapesoftheOuterHebrides,however,thatgave
Francesa tasteforextremeenvironments.Sincehertime
teachingthere,muchofherworkhascentredaround
remotecoastalstretches,withher 2018 soloexhibitionat
PeacockVisualArts,FrancesWalker:SoFar..., showcasing
a seriesofprintsmadeovereightyearsstudyingthe
extremeendsofnorthernandsouthernScotland.
Inrecentyearstheartisthastakenherpracticequite
literallyina differentdirection,travellingsouthinstead.
TheAntarcticSuiteintheMcManusgallery’sexhibitionis
theresultofhervoyagetotheSouthPolein2007.Visiting
theAntarcticPeninsula,SouthShetlands,SouthGeorgiaand the Falkland Islands, the artist
gathered information on the harsh,
deserted habitats of the polar region
before returning to her studio.
The Antarctic excursion brought
new technologies as well as new
horizons for Frances, who had to
adapt her usual method for collecting
reference materials in light of the
extreme conditions. “When I went to
Antarctica, I got my first wee digital
camera,” she explains. “I usually stop
and draw making ink and pencil
sketches working on Japanese paper,
but it was too cold and you’re often
moving fast so it was the easiest
way to gather reference materials.
“The whole trip took about three
weeks and we spent most of the time
on the ship. It was a modest boat and
I was travelling with a very international
group. We’d land from the boat among
the seals and it could be sleeting or
snowy, the conditions were very harsh.
I might take photos or make notes in
my diary but mostly I had to wait until
I was back on the boat.”
Frances hopes that her Antarctic
Suite will serve as important reference
materials for future research into this
changing landscape. “This exhibition
is very timely,” she says. “I came up
with the title, Among the Polar Ice,
myself. There’s some very interesting
work and it’s important it be
preserved for the future.”
And her intentions for the Antarctic
series have not gone unnoticed.
“Something that’s very on trend at the
moment in glacier science is to use
archive photos, documents and even paintings to understand
how landscapes and climate have evolved,” said Simon
Cook, a geoscientist at the University of Dundee, of the
exhibition. “Often these are the only records we have of the
recent past – the last 100 years or so, before the dawn of
satellite imagery. This can represent essential context for
today’s climate situation. These spectacular paintings offer
a visual record of the world’s diminishing ice caps and
remind us all that we have a role to play in their survival.”
Also featuring in Among the Polar Ice is the 87-year-old
Glaswegian artist James Morrison, a co-founder of the
Glasgow Group, whose extensive portfolio includes rugged
landscapes based on studies of his home in Angus and
travels to Assynt in Sutherland. It wasn’t until 1992 that
the artist first visited the Arctic, specifically the glacial OttoLEFT Frances Walker, Late Summer,
Antarctica, oil on panel, 96.5x142cm
BELOW LEFT James Morrison, Berg, Otto
Fiord, 30xi, oil on board, 102x145cmOPPOSITE PAGE,
FROM TOP Whale
Bay, Antarctica No.
1 , 152.4x228.6cm;
Supraglacial Lake
(between Hiawatha
and Humboldt
Glaciers),
Greenland,
79°6’59.05”N
65°15’54.99” W,
152.4x208cm.
Both Zaria Forman,
soft pastel on paper PART OF THE
ANTARCTIC SUITEPRESENTED BY THE ARTIST AS A LIVING BEQUEST. © FRANCES WALKER/COURTESY OF JAMES MORRISON