Artwork of the Month - March 2010
Rooftops
Artist: Brenda Munson (1931-2003)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Status: Permanent collection
Item No.: GMAG 2005.148
About the Artist
Brenda Munson was born in Guernsey. The only time she lived away from the Island was when she was evacuated to Halifax during the German Occupation. She returned to Guernsey after the War and started to paint seriously from 1950. In 1967 she opened the 'St James Gallery' in the Grange and then later set up the 'Studio Gallois' in Lower Forest Lane, St Peter Port.
Her work is highly distinctive, often choosing unusual viewpoints of local buildings and capturing Guernsey's coastline in a rather sombre but affectionate way. Her landscapes are devoid of figures, which she regarded as 'interference'. We can see how a human figure would have interfered with the simple strong forms in many of her paintings.
She often said that visitors didn't like her work, possibly because her paintings didn't capture the Island in bright sunshine. It is clear that cold wintery days, where shades of grey dominate, inspired her most. She affectionately called Guernsey 'her granite island'.
