Margaret Murton is primarily a painter whose work celebrates the hedgerows, woodlands, orchards and gardens that shape the English landscape. Her unique technique of painting translucent forms into ancient wooden panelling or cool-toned boards of sycamore or birch ply means that the graining and image emerge one from the other. This depth gives the work the textural quality of old tapestries or, on the paler wood, of watered silk.
It was just these qualities that led Hugh Ehrman, the needlepoint manufacturer, to invite Margaret to design for his company. Margaret is now well established as one of the leading designers in this country, giving lectures and workshops both in London and at her studio. Her designs are distributed worldwide.
Her paintings into wood are mainly commissioned. Discussion with her clients means that careful consideration is given to personalising the imagery and selecting the most suitable panel for its location. For this reason her work was a natural choice when Leicester Museum was commissioning a chimney board for the Queen Anne bedroom at Belgrave Hall. Her paintings are in many private collections, including that of the interior designer, Nina Campbell.
