Mary McMurtrie facts for kids

Mary McMurtrie (1902 – 2003) was a Scottish artist. She was famous for painting plants and flowers. Mary also loved gardening. She wrote and drew pictures for many books about wild flowers. People all over the world knew her for her amazing plant art. She kept painting and publishing books until she was over 100 years old. This made her known as the oldest working artist in Britain.

Early Life and Art Talent

Mary Margaret Mitchell was born in Skene, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Her father was the headmaster of the local school. She went to Albyn School for Girls in Aberdeen. From a very young age, Mary loved to sketch animals. She drew them in the fields near her home.

Mary was very good at art. She went to Gray's School of Art. She was one of the first female students there. Mary finished first in her class. The top student usually won a trip to Italy to study art. However, because she was a girl, she did not get the prize. The boy who came second received the trip instead. After art school, she studied at the College of Domestic Science in Aberdeen.

A Love for Gardening

In 1924, Mary married Rev John McMurtrie. He was the minister of Skene. They had four children together. Mary's husband passed away in 1949. She then raised her two youngest children by herself.

Besides painting, Mary loved gardening. She moved from Skene to Aberdeen. There, she started a plant nursery in her garden. This business grew and became very successful. She also wrote about her local area. Her articles appeared in magazines like the Scots Magazine.

In 1960, Mary bought Balbithan House. It was a large, old house from the 1500s. She worked hard to fix up the whole house. She also changed the gardens into a famous nursery. She grew special plants like alpines and rock plants. Mary was known for growing old types of garden flowers. These included roses, violas, and primulas.

Becoming a Botanical Artist

Mary knew a lot about wild flowers. She turned her hobby of painting them into a serious art career. She always painted flowers exactly as she saw them in real life. Mary painted a lot when she visited the Algarve in Portugal. She also painted in Kenya, where her daughter lived.

Mary showed her paintings in art galleries. Soon, she became known worldwide. She was one of Britain's best plant painters. The University of Lisbon asked her to draw pictures for a book. It was called The Flowers of the Algarve. This book came out in six parts between 1973 and 1998. She also drew pictures for Roy Genders' book, Growing Old-fashioned Flowers.

Mary stopped running her nursery. She moved back to Aberdeen. When she was 80 years old, she published her first book. It was called Wild Flowers of Scotland. She wrote the words and drew all the pictures. Later, she published Scots Roses of Hedgerows and Wild Gardens in 1998. Her book Scottish Wild Flowers came out in 2001.

Mary McMurtrie finished the drawings for her book Old Cottage Pinks just before she died. She passed away on November 1, 2003, at 101 years old. She had painted until her last few weeks. She had also just finished checking her newest book. Peter McEwan, an art expert, said she was one of Scotland's best plant painters of her time. Her art was shown in France, Portugal, Kenya, and London. A charity called Counsel and Care recognized her. They said she was the oldest active artist in Britain.

After she passed away, some of her paintings were published. They appeared in a book called Mary McMurtrie's Country Garden Flowers.