Based in the Scottish Borders, Caroline Ann Mordue presents an enchanting collection of interior scenes on the theme of Haunts, such as cafes and restaurants in Melrose, Edinburgh and Leith.   

‘The title ‘Haunts’ comes from the fact that I frequently visit the places as a quiet observer, unnoticed. I am invisible like a ghost. I seek to capture the ordinary moments around us that often go overlooked, such as a table, cup of coffee, or the intimate corner of a restaurant.’  – Caroline Ann Mordue

The Hoebridge is an independent restaurant in Gattonside, Melrose, serving home-made and local produce. This is where you will find a Table for Two, neatly set with cutlery, napkins and glowing candlelight for a romantic tête-à-tête. Indeed, even the legs of the chairs and table are closely entwined!

Ardfern in Leith is owned by the distinguished chef Roberta Hall-McCarron, serving Scottish cuisine, wine and cocktails. Here are two chairs beside a tall cabinet filled, perhaps, with wine bottles and glassware, as soft sunlight streams through the window across a buttercream-painted wall – altogether a delightful snapshot moment.  

Ostara is a popular café in Leith and the place for a delicious breakfast where you may sip your creamy cappuccino from this beautifully decorated ceramic cup and saucer: the floral design is cleverly echoed in the vase of sprigs and twigs. 

Caroline’s compositional style is greatly influenced by Édouard Vuillard and Gwen John, who was renowned for delicate portraits and still-life. One critic described her work in the realm of ‘interior fever’, taking hold among contemporary artists – as illustrated by John’s painting Interior – a cosy domestic setting with teapot, newspaper and book on a table beside the fireplace 

‘Interior fever is something I’ve definitely caught!. Her application of paint was reminiscent of how I like to work, and I feel a fondness for her attitude in life. For me, I find joy in the creativity of food and dining, from the menu to the ceramics and the decor.’ – Caroline Ann Mordue

Each silent, uninhabited ‘domestic’ scene is bathed in a muted, colour palette, tobacco and terracotta brown with shimmering shadows. From cosy cafés to the homely comfort of Hallway, St. Stephen Street, Stockbridge where we are invited to peek through the open front door, across the hall towards the lounge with Cheese plant and armchair at the window.  

As Caroline explains, ‘Painting is solitary for me, there are no people in my work, instead it’s empty chairs and places once inhabited.’

What is most insightful is the subtle timelessness portrayed through the rustic decor, vintage tables, willow-pattern plates and jugs of wild flowers. With a sensitive touch, these quiet, intimate interiors reflect a nostalgic sense of tradition and memories of the past.  

Audrey Rapier was born in Scotland, grew up on the west coast of Cumbria, and after graduating from art college, settled in North London. As well as pencil and watercolour sketches, she works mainly in oils to paint views of favourite destinations, ‘capturing everyday moments with a calm simplicity, motivated by an emotional response to the unexpected beauty in the seemingly ordinary.’ 

In this collection, Between Land and Light, we travel from London to Lake Como, Cumbria to the Outer Hebrides. Birkerthwaite is a village in Eskdale, Cumbria – a place for the great escape, hiking up hills, Cartmel Fell, White Pike and Haystacks. Looking towards Birkerthwaite, Cumbria depicts a perfect picture postcard of patchwork of cornfields and green meadows. It’s as if time has stopped-still in this valley, unchanged in generations, where blue sun-tinted hills clearly evoke this poem by A E Housman. 

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

Audrey is also captivated by the ‘truly amazing space and light’ in the Outer Hebrides. Between Harris and North Uist, the island of Berneray is named by Lonely Planet as having one of the best beaches in Europe. Standing on these golden sands, View from Berneray Beach offers a prime perspective with crisp clarity across gentle waves to the curving coastline beyond.  

The atmospheric realism has a distinctive quality, reminiscent of Francis Cadell, one of the pioneering Scottish Colourists. He visited the Isle of Iona every summer from 1912 to 1933, infatuated with the light, peace and solace of this special, spiritual place. Just like Audrey found on Berneray, Iona was Cadell’s ‘painter’s paradise’.  

‘The first time I visited Cornwall was as a student when David Haughton, a tutor at The Central School, took a group of students down there. I fell in love with the place and have been visiting ever since’. – Audrey Rapier 

A very different view of the coastline in Cornwall is seen through a wood-panelled window, over a grassy cliff top with just a glimpse of the sea. This has an intriguing hidden narrative, as if the unseen person is tentatively looking at the grey rain clouds, yearning to venture out for a breath of fresh air. 

One can immediately see how Audrey is ‘inspired by line and form, working with shapes, colours and the effects of light’.  As a free flowing, impressionistic composition, Northumberland Coast is almost distilled to a simple ‘sketch’ while the windswept tree and quirky contour of the distant mountain capture a melancholic mood.  

There’s a hint in these paintings of the romantic landscapes of Paul Nash, rich in mystical symbolism to express his deep connection with the English countryside. Likewise, Audrey Rapier has a dreamlike, lyrical style, focussing on the real spirit of place with her own precise, personal vision.

With many thanks to Vivien Devlin for this review.