Philip Muirden (1932 to 2023)
Philip was born in Pembrokeshire and educated at Haverfordwest Grammar School. He went on to study at Cardiff College of Art before completing a Master’s Degree at The Royal Academy of Art.
Philip became a lecturer at Mansfield College of Art from 1965 to 1972 and a Senior Lecturer at Newport College of Art from 1972 to 1991.
A draughtsman of the very highest order, Philip’s drawings of marine subjects are both breath-taking and brilliant in their observation and what he described as ‘retinal experience’.
His portraits are incredibly powerful, and Philip certainly had interest and concerns regarding the human condition as a subject.
There is a strong surreal element to his paintings, showing very imaginative and poetic handling with what he termed ‘considerations of surreal and social themes’.
He was an extremely gifted and well-loved tutor. His immense enthusiasm and robust pragmatism coupled with a warm and engaging sense of humour, had a huge effect on those of us fortunate enough to have been his students.
During his life as an artist Philip Muirden always avoided the production of works with a unified, pre-conceived brand image. His output contains celebrations of his ‘retinal images’, such as the wonderful fishing boat subject matter he painted. His intellectually inspired work and reflections on the human condition were frequently presented.
Philip’s work was featured in many solo and group exhibitions, and it is found in major public and private collections worldwide. He was a regular exhibitor at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and at The Royal Watercolour Society.
Neil Carroll
Exhibition Curator