Sculptor

Born: November 17, 1953;

Died: September 9, 2018

MO Farquharson, who has died aged 64, was a noted sculptor who gained an international reputation and exhibited widely in Scotland and London. She brought a vibrancy and excitement to all her works but was particularly recognized for her charming depiction of animals. She also created sizeable works that have become centrepieces in town centres. None more so than in Hamilton, Lanarkshire where Farquharson made a powerful bronze statue, The Miners, in 1995, in memory of the 73 colliers who died in the Udston Colliery explosion of 1887.

She was also commissioned to do a four-foot figure of John Lennon for HMV which was nominated for the Silver Clef awards. After the unveiling Farquharson sat next to Yoko Ono at dinner – she held Farquharson’s hand throughout the meal.

Mo Farquharson was the daughter of Colin and Jean Farquharson and was born and brought up in The Owlery as her father was the factor on the Haddo estate in Aberdeenshire. She grew up to love the Aberdeenshire countryside and kept ponies which she rode on expeditions. The family often spent summer holidays in Elie.

After attending the local Tarves Primary School Farquharson went to Northforland Lodge in Hampshire. Sadly, aged 15 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease which she accepted with great good grace for the rest of her life.

In 1972 she moved to Edinburgh where she did various jobs but in 1973 she attended the art classes of Edward Gage at Sighthill. She then studied at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford (1974-77) and the Massachusetts College of Art (1977-78). She became enthused by the art of sculpting and decided to make it her career.

She returned to London, set up a studio, and held her first solo exhibition in 1980 at the Cale Gallery. While Farquharson fast built a reputation as a sculptor of figurative bronze sculptures of people, animals and birds she also received commissions for larger pieces. Apart from the realistic coal miners she also created an altar piece for a private chapel at Killenberg in Salem, Germany in 1983. In Baden she sculpted a fountain surmounted by a sculpture representing the Good Samaritan.

Farquharson’s work was often seen at the Milton Gallery in Crathes in her native Aberdeenshire. Vinny Burnett remembered her exhibitions there with much affection, “Mo was hugely popular both with locals and visitors from all over the world. Her unique informal and expressive style resulted in beautiful, characterful work. She had an amazing ability to capture the essence of her subject and truly make them come alive.”

Farquharson brought to her work a real sense of imagery combined with a detailed observation of the subject. There was always much warmth, style and honesty in her works. In Victoria Station, for example, Farquharson depicts the hurly-burly of the busy concourse with a fine eye for detail. The same sympathy and attention is applied to Farquharson’s wildlife pieces: runner ducks, a hare, an otter, a beloved pet are all given a feeling of playful movement.

Her sense of fun is further witnessed in her Acrobat series where acrobats are sculpted perilously riding a bicycle the back wheel aloft. Even more dangerous was the three acrobats on a bicycle balancing on each other’s shoulders.

Her sculptures can be seen in many public places and at art fairs: the Desert House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, a bust of Viscount Arbuthnot former president of the Edinburgh Zoo and at the Glasgow Art Fair. Her name appears in many private collections including that of the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Padstow Gallery in Cornwall championed Farquharson’s work in their first solo exhibition in 2007. Sarah Adams told The Herald, “Mo often worked in series, documenting a slice of life and making the ordinary special: waiting at a bus stop or for a train, battling with an umbrella on a windy day, walking the dog. As a person Mo was utterly delightful, as full of warmth and fun as her work, kind and sweet natured."

Farquharson was an intrepid traveller but, despite her many years in the south, always considered Aberdeenshire her home. She returned from all her foreign sojourns with exciting stories which she related gleefully to her nephews and nieces. They were particularly excited about some black sand from Tahiti. She was an ardent bridge player, devoted to her family and her nephew Chris fondly remembered her, “Mo always radiated the power of positivity, always shone and brightened up people’s lives wherever she went.”

She was elected in 1995 a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and worked on behalf of both the Sandpiper Trust and Save the Children.

Mo Farquharson is survived by her sister, Jilly.

ALASDAIR STEVEN