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signed lower right
In this vibrant and joyful watercolour, Beaton captures the energy of daily life in a coastal village: fishermen at work, boats moored in the foreground, and a cluster of buildings across the harbour. A bright green tussocky hill in the foreground echoes the colour of a painted boat mid-scene, cleverly defining the perspective and adds to the visual rhythm. Though the exact location is unknown, the painting evokes the spirit of Scotland’s coastal harbours such as Tarbert. Beaton combines keen observation with compositional flair, using her palette not just descriptively, but expressively, creating a work that is part picture, part social document, and wholly alive.
Penelope Beaton was a formidable and much-admired figure in 20th century Scottish art, and a central figure in the Edinburgh School. She enjoyed an influential teaching career at Edinburgh College of Art, where she helped shape the direction of modern Scottish painting. Beaton’s approach to painting was marked by a forceful clarity of composition, expressive handling of colour, and a sharp sensitivity to the rhythms of landscape and still life. A close contemporary of William Gillies, with whom she shared both stylistic traits and teaching responsibilities, Beaton developed a strong personal voice that combined modernism with direct observation.
Elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1957, she remained active in exhibiting throughout her life, contributing over a hundred works to RSA exhibitions alone. Her watercolours of Iona are known for their lyrical insight and compositional restraint. After her death in 1963, Beaton was remembered as a teacher of immense dedication and a painter of distinction. Her legacy continues in both the aesthetic lineage of the Edinburgh School and the lives of the many students and artists she passionately supported.
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