‘High Moon’ - Mary Norden - 2026

An original piece by London based artist Mary Norden.

Created using vintage and antique textiles from Mary's internationally collected fabric archive.

Photographed in natural light in our Rye studio, with every care taken to capture true colour. As with all textile work, variations in light, summer to winter, morning to afternoon, daylight to bulb will bring out different hues and details in Mary’s materials.

Wooden tray frame.

Dimensions: 26cm x 20cm including frame.

Mary Norden paints with fabrics creating pictures that convey stillness, a quiet moment and a sense of passing of time. She trained and worked in textiles for many years where she became renowned for her unique use of colour and pattern whilst also becoming established as a writer and art director. She divides her time between London and the wilds of the Shropshire hills.

I have always loved fabrics, particularly vintage cloth. Whether printed, woven, threadbare, patched or plain, each piece comes with a story: anarrative woven into its wear and age, carrying memories of differentuses and lives lived. I love the spontaneity of cutting into a length offabric, playing with it, creating shapes, and adding other colours, just asone would mix paints. I find it fascinating too how moods and even representative images can be found in these materials. The raw hem of an old red silk slip becomes the horizon in a landscape at sunset. A vintage Japanese sack originally used for straining unrefined sake becomes a field, and in several of my still-life paintings, vessels are cut from the floral fabrics I discovered hidden inside the remains of an 18th-century French bedcover. A new picture always starts with a single piece of fabric. It’s the seed of the picture and where the story begins. It might be the tiniest cotton fragment from a dress, or a strip of old linen, heavy with indigo dye and stains. I then gather other fabrics that complement the seed fabric, and from here the narrative unfolds, taking me either towards an abstract, usually evoking landscape, or a still-life often depicting simple objects. Shapes are built by overlapping layers of fabric, and I like to incorporate any original stitching - this might be patching, darning or simple hand stitching, as well as age marks - fading, fold lines, and seam edges.

Domestic Orders:

Shipping to the United Kingdom will be calculated at checkout and includes an insurance premium to the item's full value.

You can also collect your order free of charge from McCully & Crane, 27 Cinque Ports St, Rye, TN31 7AD, United Kingdom. Just select 'Pick-up in Rye' at check-out.

International Orders:

We ship our paintings to almost anywhere in the world, and shipping will be calculated automatically at checkout. If your region is not listed, please request an International Shipping Quote. Shipping rates include an insurance premium to the item's full value.

Objects, furniture and lighting require a more tailored service. In order to offer you the most accurate rate please request an International Shipping Quote and we'll be in touch soon.

Visit our Shipping & Returns page for more information.

McCully & Crane is proud to be a member of the Own Art scheme which provides finance options for the purchase of original works of art and craft.

You can also split any online purchase of up to £2,000 into three interest-free payments, with no sign-up fees or late fees, by choosing PayPal at checkout and paying with Pay in 3.

Visit our Finance Options page for more information. 

Here at McCully & Crane our pieces range from contemporary artworks and one-off pieces to antiques that are presented with signs of age and wear intentionally.

We want you to be perfectly happy with your order, however we understand that sometimes you may wish to return your purchase.

Visit our Shipping & Returns page for more information.