Hill Top Village Tuscany
By Marjorie Stark

This piece is a mixed media abstract collage depicting a hilltop village in Tuscany. it creates the impression of a remote, lofty outcrop of rock, constructed from a large loosely assembled selection of brown, black and white fragments of textured tissue paper, hessian fabric and other materials. The background landscape is painted in loose watercolour. The village itself is drawn in brown pen and ink in the style of an architectural drawing. A photograph in the upper-right corner depicts an example of Tuscan architecture, adding authenticity, history and a sense of personal narrative to the scene.

Marjorie Stark was born in 1914 and studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1949 to 1955. She was as elected a professional member of the Society of Scottish Artists. Her work often combines fragments and impressions of her subject through the medium of water-colour and collage. She developed a distinctive style using torn paper and mixed media, and had a particular interest in exploring architectural themes.