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framed dimensions: 58.5 x 68 cm
signed lower right
In Ploughed Fields, Borders Moorland, Beaton captures the dynamic energy of the Scottish Borders landscape, where farmland meets open moor. The viewpoint appears to be painted from an elevated position, which suggests an artist who walked the land, climbing high to observe the sweep of field and sky below.
Beaton’s use of ink and watercolour is expressive yet restrained, balancing fluid brushwork with keen graphic structure. The sky is light and fast-moving, rendered with a vibrancy that mirrors unpredictable Scottish weather. This painting is likely the result of one of Beaton’s habitual outdoor sketching excursions, possibly alongside her close colleague and fellow Edinburgh School artist, William Gillies. Both shared a dedication to drawing and painting from life, which was part of a daily discipline. The Borders landscape, with its subtle drama and rich agricultural patterns, offered endless inspiration.
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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