Page 17 - For the purpose of this essay when I refer to ‘spirit’ ‘devine’ or ‘spirituality’ I am referring

Maria Charlton – Interview Appendix 3

Charlton, M., 2010. Interview Questions. [email] (Personal communication, 14 Mar 2010)

Maria Charlton was born in Dublin, but is now living and working in Gorey, County
Wexford. She studied fine art painting in Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design
from 1990 to 1994 and later attended the Crawford College of Art, in Cork from 1996
to 1997.She was the recipient of the prestigious Charles Brady HRHA Award, at the
Royal Hibernian Academy
annual Submission exhibition in
2000 and she was granted the
artists tax exemption in
2001.Her work has been
collected nationally and abroad.

Landscape has been the main
inspiration for Charlton to date.
The experience of visually
recording the landscapes many
moods and colours, mist, clouds
and shimmering light along the
horizon, the sense of stillness
and quietness which one can
experience in the landscape,

(Fig-11) where cloud Fig – 11. Landscape, (2000) by Maria Charlton. Oil on canvas (33cm x
encompasses land, moving it in 39cm)
and out of focus: they are all qualities interpreted in Charlton’s work. Her work
explores these elements but also evolve from her emotional response to the landscape.
Her work portrays the duality of nature, the mystery of life existing in two opposed
forces. The activity along the horizon sets up a dialogue between land and sky, heaven
and earth.

1. Do you believe that there is a spiritual dimension (such as divine influence,
connecting to something within ourselves but also greater than ourselves) to creating
your art?

I do believe that there can be or indeed is a spiritual dimension within creativity. There
is as I describe it a 'power beyond myself' or indeed in my case, when painting, it's
when I connect with this dimension that good works are created. As I become more
immersed in my work, 'something' takes over, that something for me is 'soul' or a
'deepness within'.

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