Born in Carlton, Victoria, Mary MacQueen had a love for drawing from
early childhood. Throughout her creative life she specialised in open
line drawing, lithography and mixed media techniques on paper. Despite
studying under William Dargie at Swinburne Technical College, and later
George Bell, whose methods were grounded in the formal principles of
design, MacQueen developed a visual language of spontaneous expressive
marks. Her oeuvre is characterised by minimal sweeping lines and
gestural, quickly drawn responses to the world around her that often
depict birds, animals and suburban landscapes. Throughout her practice,
the tension between her life as an artist and her domestic role was
often a source of frustration. Disillusion self portrait
suggestively speaks to this inner turmoil. A charcoal sketch of the
artist’s face is collaged over a bright pastel drawing of her upper
body, evoking a sense of separation between the emotional and rational
self.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Robin MacQueen 2007
© Estate of Mary MacQueen
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