Marjorie Naylor Explained

Marjorie Eleanor Froom Naylor (1908 – 30 January 1985) was a New Zealand artist. Her works are held in the collection of The Suter Art Gallery.^[1]

Biography

Naylor was born in Nelson in 1908, and studied art under Hugh Scott. In 1932 Naylor took over from Scott as principal after his retirement from the privately run Nelson School of Painting.

Naylor was an active member of various art societies including the Canterbury Society of Arts, Wellington's Academy of Fine Arts and locally the Nelson Suter Art Society where she served the roles of secretary, committee member and vice-president. Naylor was an accomplished water-colourist and developed a reputation for portraiture.^[2]

Naylor had a studio at her home in Bridge Street, Nelson next to the Suburban Bus Company. Her studio was regarded as a local landmark, both for the collection of paintings hanging in the window and for the building. Upon her death, the director of the Suter Art Gallery, Austin Davies, paid tribute to her -

She was a shy, retiring person, a meticulous individual and one liked by many people. The gallery had attempted to mount a one-person show of her work but she was reluctant to be in the public limelight. She was a longstanding member of the Suter Art Society and, although she hadn't exhibited with the society for some time, she was working until shortly before her death.^[3]

One of Naylor's best-known portraits is of Perrine Moncrieff, the pioneering environmentalist, ornithologist and craftsperson. In the 1941 artwork, Moncrieff is captured knitting socks for her son who was posted in Egypt during World War Two. Her bonnet is decorated with flowers, a typical expression of her political reviews regarding the conservation of New Zealand's native flora and fauna.^{[4] [5]}

Exhibitions

• Centennial Exhibition of International and New Zealand Art, 1939^[6]
• Nelson Suter Art Society, 1938,^[7] 1939,^[8] 1941^[9]
• New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (Wellington), 1936,^[10] 1939,^[11] 1941,^[12] 1951,^[13] 1952^[14]
• Otago Art Society, 1933^[15] Sarjeant Gallery, 1946^[16]
• Waikato Winter Show, 1940^[17]
• Wanganui Arts and Crafts Society, 1946,^[18] 1949^[19]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Marjorie Naylor . 2023-08-17 . www.nelson.govt.nz.
2. News: Catchpole . Julie . 2014-08-02 . Portraits of local identities . 15 . Nelson Mail.
3. News: 1985-02-01 . Well-known Nelson portrait and landscape artist dies . The Nelson Evening mail.
4. Web site: Portrait of Mrs Perrine Moncrieff . 2023-08-17 . The Suter Art Gallery . en.
5. Web site: Mrs Pérrine Moncrieff, Nelson . 2023-08-17 . makeshiftspaces.nz . en-NZ.
6. News: 1939-12-06 . International and New Zealand Art: Nelson artists represented . 2 . Nelson Evening mail .
7. News: 1938-09-12 . Art Society: Annual Rota Exhibition . 5 . Nelson Evening Mail .
8. News: 1939-03-21 . Art Exhibition: An interesting display . 8 . Nelson Evening Mail .
9. News: 1941-05-06 . Suter Art Society: Autumn Exhibition . 6 . Nelson Evening Mail .
10. News: 1936-08-06 . The National Art Gallery: Nelson well represented . 11 . Nelson Evening Mail .
11. News: 1939-05-25 . New Zealand art exhibition: Pictures hub by two Nelsonians . 6 . Nelson Evening Mail .
12. News: 1941-11-04 . N.Z. Academy of Fine Arts . 4 . Evening Post .
13. News: 1951-11-03 . N.Z. Academy of Fine Arts: Women represented in exhibition . 2 . Press .
14. News: 1952-04-28 . N.Z. Academy of Fine Arts: Exhibits by Women . 2 . Press .
15. News: 1933-11-17 . Otago Art Society: The annual exhibition . 13 . Evening Star .
16. News: H.C.J. . 1946-01-18 . Sarjeant Gallery: Outstanding oils: Two New Zealand landscapes . 2 . Wanganui Chronicle .
17. News: 1940-06-22 . General items: Nelson Successes . 6 . Nelson Evening Mail .
18. News: 1946-01-10 . Arts and crafts: Exhibiting artists at Wanganui . 4 . Wanganui Chronicle .
19. News: H.C.J. . 1949-03-05 . Wanganui Art Exhibition Closes Tomorrow . 4 . Wanganui Chronicle .