About

Margaret Murton has a long-established career as an artist, specialising for many years in painting into antique wood panelling. Fruits, flowers and foliage are entwined in the imagery and both respect and enhance the natural grain of the ancient wood. Her work has been featured in several interior magazines including Homes and Gardens, World of Interiors and House and Garden. Shown in galleries in Chicago, Nantucket, London and the provinces she was granted an exhibition in 1997 at The Museum of Garden History in Lambeth. This was preceded by a demonstration and talk on her work at Liberty, Regent Street, London. Her work is in the collection of the interior designer Nina Campbell and that of Staunton Harold Hall. Her largest work, a Chimney Board for the Queen Anne bedroom at Belgrave Hall, was commissioned by Leicester Museums for their permanent collection. These pieces are almost always to commission now, however, there are high quality prints of many of them available at her studio in Ashby-de -la-Zouch and shown on Instagram.

Several of these ancient panels have influenced her design work for Ehrman Tapestry, and one needlepoint in particular featured on the set of the TV series The Durrells. They also form the basis for her needlepoint workshops – both at her studio and for The National Trust, the most recent having been at Stoneywell Cottage, Leicestershire.

In partnership with her husband, the furniture designer Roger Murton, they jointly create Woodworks. These three-dimensional abstract wall reliefs are constructed from reclaimed wood and often have a natural theme or refer to a personal experience or place. 

In recent developments her paintings have explored the textural possibilities of other wooden grounds and her still life work show a rare skill in conjuring up a surface similar to that of handmade paper. Unlike her wood paintings, these reflect a change in mood and have a calm and contemplative nature.

Work has been shown at

Medici Galleries, Grafton Street, London

Liberty, Regent Street, London

The Museum of Garden History, London

Janis Aldridge, Nantucket, USA

Diana Lautens Gallery, Chicago, USA

Stephanie Hoppen, Walton Street, London

Lucy B. Campbell, Kensington Church Street, London

Yew Tree Gallery, Slad, Gloucestershire

Mid-Pennine Arts Gallery

The Castle Museum, Nottingham

Pickford’s House Museum, Derby

The Ferrers Gallery, Staunton Harold. Leicestershire

The Melbourne Gallery, Derbyshire

The National Trust, Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

Workshops and Lectures with the National Trust featured on BBC Regional News in 2001