Marian Leven RSA (born 1944) is a Scottish artist known for her sculptures, land art and collage work and for painting in oils, acrylics, and watercolour.

Biography

Leven was born in 1944 and is originally from

Auchtermuchty Auchtermuchty ( ; , 'upland of the pigs/boar') is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is beside Pitlour Hill and north of Glenrothes. History Until 1975 Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of King James V in 1517. There is ...

in Fife, Scotland. She studied

Textile arts Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials u ...

Gray's School of Art Gray's School of Art is the Robert Gordon University's art school, located in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of the oldest established fine art institutions in Scotland and one of Scotland's five art schools today, and ranked among the Top 20 ...

in Aberdeen, from 1962 to 1966 and now works in various art media including painting in watercolour, oils and acrylic, printmaking, sculpture, land art and collage. She has a family tradition of weaving. Leven's work often focusses on the Scottish landscape, weather and social history, although some pieces are abstract. Leven has been Artist-in-residence at

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ...

on Skye. Leven was a member of the

Royal Scottish Watercolour Society The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours (RSW) is a Scottish organisation of painters. The first preliminary meeting of the society took place in Glasgow on 21 December 1877 as a reaction to a lack of interest in watercolour art by ...

and has also showed works at the Royal Scottish Academy, the

Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. The institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibitio ...

and with the Society of Aberdeen Artists. Leven has created

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

jointly with Will Maclean: the sculpture ''Waterlines'' at the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

and the land art and land raid work ''An Suileachan'' on the Isle of Lewis. Leven was awarded the Noble Grossart prize in 1997. She and Maclean were awarded the

Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s ...

's Award for Arts and Craft in Architecture in 2013 for ''An Suileachan''. She has work in the collection of the

Verdant Works Verdant Works, also known as Scotland's Jute Museum, is a former jute mill in the Blackness area of Dundee, Scotland. It was purchased in 1991 by the Dundee Heritage Trust. The trust restored the buildings, which were officially opened by P ...

. She also exhibited in the 2002 exhibition ''Beyond Conflict''. Leven convened the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2017. She has also worked as an art teacher and lecturer. Leven is married to Will Maclean. They have three children: the film director John Maclean, the musician David Maclean of

Django Django Django Django are a British art rock band based in London, England. Formed in 2009, the band has released four studio albums starting with their self-titled debut in 2012. Their latest album '' Glowing in the Dark'' was released on 12 February 2 ...

, and a daughter, Miriam, who has

Down's Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...

. Leven lives in

Tayport Tayport, also known as Ferry-Port on Craig, is a town and burgh, and parish, in the county of Fife, Scotland, acting as a commuter town for Dundee. The motto of the Burgh is ''Te oportet alte ferri'' ("It is incumbent on you to carry yourself ...

in Fife.

References

External links

Artist's website
* Living people 1944 births 20th-century Scottish women artists 21st-century Scottish women artists Alumni of Gray's School of Art People from Auchtermuchty People from Tayport Royal Scottish Academicians {{Scotland-artist-stub

Biography

References

Further reading

External links