By: FOGG, Mary (1918-2012)

Acq. Number: 753

Dimensions: 89 x 56 cm, in frame 96 x 63 cm

Artwork_Medium: oil and wood on board

Purchased: 2005

Buyer: MOORE, David

Location: y Gaer Museum, Art Gallery and Library

Town: Brecon

Content: The figures in this painting appear restless, acting independently of each other, perhaps in search of themselves. They exist within a rigidly structured environment, partly painted and partly constructed from pieces of rough fencing or beading. The colour and texture of the pieces of wood harmonise with the subdued brown and orange of the figures. Despite their numbers, the figures seem isolated, raising concerns about barriers to communication, whether physical or psychological.

Notes: Mary Fogg lived on the Llyn peninsula. Born in Lancashire in 1918 she studied at Preston and Manchester Art Schools before the war and, during it, worked as a radiographer. Afterwards she travelled in Europe and earned a living selling her work. She was a friend of Josef Herman in Ystradgynlais. From 1957 her career was largely spent as head of art in various schools, although she attended Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, in the 1960s. A member of The Welsh Group and the Watercolour Society of Wales, she held a significant solo exhibition in 2001 at Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery.