Mary Alexander Park (1 April 185023 October 1920) was an artist who lived in Scotland and New Zealand. She exhibited at 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 the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

Art Society. Her students included Ignatius Roche and John Lavery.

Early life

Park was born in

Loanhead Loanhead is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, in a commuter belt to the south of Edinburgh, and close to Roslin, Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith. The town was built on coal and oil shale mining, and the paper industries. History Loanhead was a tiny villag ...

, Scotland on 1 April 1850. Her parents, John Brown Park (1821-1891) and Christina Alexander (1821-1906), had an older sister Jesse before Mary and later had a third daughter Agnes. The family moved from Scotland to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

when Mary was five years old. Park studied at her parents' schools in both Tasmania and

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

where she developed art skills at a young age.

Career

Park's first exhibit was at the Otago Art Society in 1876 and she became well known as a portrait painter. Park moved back to Scotland in 1880 and was based in Europe for 20 years, spending time at Rodolphe Julian's private art school ''L'Académie Julian'' in Paris, before returning to Dunedin. While in Scotland, she painted and also taught art in Helensburgh with Madge Ross, who she had met in Paris while training. Their students included the '' Glasgow Boys'''

Alexander Ignatius Roche Alexander Ignatius Roche (17 August 1861 – 10 March 1921) RSA NEAC RP was a Scottish artist in the late 19th century and an important figure in the "Glasgow Boys". Life He was born in the Gallowgate in Glasgow, the son of a milliner, Alex ...

and John Lavery. Park and Ross exhibited at their home, at the 7 East

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

gallery of Macneur and Bryden Stationers, at the Lady Artists' Club, and at the

. Ross and Park moved to Glasgow in 1906 and Park returned to New Zealand in 1911.

Death

Park died of a heart attack in

on 23 October 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Mary Alexander 1850 births 1920 deaths 19th-century New Zealand artists New Zealand women painters People from Loanhead