Meet the Showroom: Quote & Curate
Angela Murray studied fine art at Winchester School of Art prior to completing a curatorial MA at the Royal College of Art. She founded Quote & Curate as a fine art consultancy that showcases her own work, which is inspired by Colour Field painting and the landscapes of her native Ireland. Quote and Curate now occupies a space in Design Centre East that acts as a base for Murray’s consultancy and a studio for her painting, effectively making her the Design Centre’s first artist in residence. Find out below how she works with interior designers and individuals to enhance their spaces and why “the process of commissioning is the best type of collaboration.”
What brought Quote & Curate to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour?
As an RCA curator and someone who has been immersed in art and design for many years, the Design Centre for me is a giant exhibition of the most wonderfully curated brands. It seemed a natural proposition to move my existing studio into the heart of the harbour, making it much more convenient for designers to engage with my work and specify it within their projects. I’m delighted to call myself the first ‘artist in residence’ at the Design Centre.
What should we expect from your studio?
Unlike other showrooms at the Design Centre, Quote & Curate is a working studio. On any given day you may find me painting or in discussion with a client regarding a bespoke commission. It’s a dynamic space with lots of paintings hung around the walls, salon style, giving a full overview of my portfolio and scope. It’s also incredibly joyful as inevitably there is a cornucopia of colour everywhere, indicative of the work I make..
Why should people visit in person as opposed to looking/buying online?
It’s always wonderful to have the opportunity to share more detail on a particular painting – the process and the inspiration – and this is only possible in conversation with a visiting client. Sometimes the journey a painting has taken in its making, or indeed its inspiration, resonates with an individual and that’s something best experienced when you can physically see the work.
How would you describe your artistic style and influences?
Having trained at Winchester (which then was very much one of the last classic schools of art) I was immersed in British Colour Field painting, as well as a love and respect for the art of drawing.
I believe all great painting is underpinned with an ability to draw form: when the colour is removed from Matisse’s work, it will always be a magnificent library of drawings. The artists I continue to reference, such as Heron, Lanyon, Hilton and the other greats from St Ives School, further inspired by Caulfield, Diebenkorn and countless contemporary artists today, they all cherish mark-making.
I work primarily on linen and use a mix of water-based paint, often combining watercolour in its purest form with acrylic. I never stop drawing and incorporate soft pastel oil sticks, ground pigment and charcoal into and onto the surface of the linen. The heavy tooth of the fabric is a great friend to pastels and drawing materials, holding it within the warp and weft of the fabric. I like to embellish and decorate the body of the painting, often gilding areas with 24-carat gold leaf, ultimately creating precious surfaces.
Landscape and interiors are my obsession: I depict spaces that are sometimes both inside and outside, with collections of objects arranged as still life. My native Ireland inevitably appears again and again in the greens of the palette and the rolling skies of the landscapes.
Are interior designers looking for something in particular when they are commissioning artwork?
The collaborative process of working with designers is very much like the process of specifying any other FF&E. I’m keen to understand the designer’s moodboards and the existing look and feel of the project space. The client almost always has existing artwork, often substantial collections, which affords me the opportunity to get an overview of their interests.
Scale is often the main factor with many of the clients I work with. It’s important to them that the piece is impactful and can carry the scope of the rooms around it. Semi-abstract work abounds, as does exclusively abstract work.
The process of commissioning is the best type of collaboration, it ensures everyone achieves the outcome they desire and for me the relationship I have with both designer and client is one I value immensely.
What projects have you need working on lately?
I enjoy the process of working with other brands and have recently completed a triptych using Edward Bulmer’s beautiful natural paints . This work is currently on display within a showcase in the Design Centre’s. Throughout the summer and into autumn I will be working on similar collaborations with Benjamin Moore, Mylands and Paint & Paper Library, all of which I’m looking forward to working with, not least because the individual palettes and pigment makeup are unique to each brand and impact the outcomes of the paintings enormously, which is such a different way of working.
is there anything else you’d like the Design Centre’s community know about Quote & Curate?
Fine art lifts the soul, like a good book or musical composition. There is so much wellbeing to be had through the art of making, and to encourage this philosophy I run watercolour workshops as well as painting masterclasses from my studio. Whether you are a novice or further developed in your artistic practice, the opportunity to create a picture is quite simply the best feeling. People are always amazed at what they produce, and with one member of the Design Centre’s staff describing their workshop as “the best therapy”, I couldn’t have been be happier!
During WOW!house 2024 (4 June – 4 July), Quote & Curate is offering 25% off any painting or print, either in person or via its website. Quote code PRIVATEVIEW when ordering.
