'My painting is concerned with Scottish landscape and seascape, an expression of the harmony, balance and emotional interaction I experience through remembered, mythical and historic associations. The land,sea and weather absorb me. Images for my paintings are collected in the landscape and in the studio the recollection moves into interpretation and metaphor. My painting allows me to respond to this environment in the knowledge that I am part of a long history of people shaped by these conditions.' Marian lives and works in the the North East corner of Fife only a mile or two away from Newport-on-Tay
Educated Auchtermuchty Primary and Bell Baxter Senior Secondary Schools, Fife
1962-66 Grays School of Art, Aberdeen.
1966-67 Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh
1992 Elected Member of Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.
1999 Lecturer in Constructed Textiles, Duncan of Jordanstone, University of Dundee
2001 Painting Lecturer, Glenrothes College, Fife
2002-08 Visiting Lecturer Fine Art, Taigh Chearsabhagh, UHI, Lochmaddy
2002 Artist in Residence, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Isle of Skye.
2004 Elected Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy.
2008 Elected Royal Scottish Academician
2011-12 Waterlines sculpture, University of Aberdeen Sir Duncan Rice Library
2010-2013 Suileachan Land Art/sculpture, Reef, Isle of Lewis
2014 The Power of the Sea, RWA Bristol
2014 Pittemweem Art Fesival, invited artist.
2014 Summer Exhibition, Kilmorak Galery, Beauly
2013 RGI Annual Exhibition, Invited Artist, Glasgow
2013 Waterlines Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen
2012 Scottish Connections, Galerie Herold, Hamburg
2012 Seeing In a Wider Sense. FCA&C, a dialogue with art and anthropology, St. Andrews Museum
2012 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Invited artist, Burlington House, London
2012 RSW Summer Exhibition The Maclaurin Art Galleries, Ayr
2011 VAS Annual Exhibition, Invited Artist, RSA, Edinburgh
2011 North Light, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2011 Poetry Beyond Text, Poetry Library, Edinburgh
2011 Poetry Beyond Text, VRC, Dundee Contemporary Art
2010 Winter Exhibition, Lillie Art Gallery, Milngavie.
2010 The Summer Exhibition, The Fleming Collection, London
2010 Highlands and Islands: Painting and Poetry, The Fleming Collection
2010 Abstract The Open Eye Gallery Edinburgh.
2010 Watercolours AWI, Sydney, Australia.
2009/2010 The Coast Road Diaries, Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh and touring.
2009 Fragments and Traces, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2002 Towards The Shore, An Tobar, Mull
2001 Towards The Shore, Taigh Chearsabhagh, North Uist
2000 Towards The Shore, An Tuirreann, Portree
2000 Towards The Shore, An Lanntiar, Stornoway
1998 Recent Works, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
1996 Recent Scottish Watercolours, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh RSA, RGI, RSW, SSA, AAS, Annual Exhibitions
2008 Coast, Open Eye Gallery. Edinburgh.
2008 RSA Highland Exhibition, An Lanntair, Stornoway.
2007 Highland 2007, RSA, Edinburgh
2007 Preview Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2005 RSA Festival Connections Edinburgh.
2005 Mixed Doubles, Art First, London.
2005 Marian Leven and Anna King. Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen.
2005 Glasgow Art Fair, Gallery Heinzel
2004 New Associates Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.
2004 Academicians and The Demarco Archive, RSA, Edinburgh.
2004 Shared Space, Marian Leven and Will Maclean, Compass Gallery, Glasgow
2004 Summer Exhibitions, The Plockton Gallery, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen.
2004 The Directors Chair 2, Chosen by Clara Young. Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh.
2002/3 Starting a Collection, Art First, London
2003 Journeys, DCA Exhibition, Discovery Point, Dundee.
2003 New Faces, Gallery Heinzel, Aberdeen
2003 40 Years On, Demarco. City Arts Centre, Edinburgh.
2003 Festival of The Sea. Demarco European Foundation, Leith.
2002-05 An Leabhar Mor, The Great Book of Gaelic Exhibition, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow and Cannongate Publication. Touring Canada, U.S.A., Ireland and U.K.
2002 Work in Progress, Visual Research Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts
2002 Dundee Print Open, Duncan of Jordanstone and Abertay University
2002 Traces, Print Exhibition, R. K. Burt Gallery, London
2001 Beyond Conflict, The Demarco European Art Foundation Touring Exhibition and Publication.
2001 The Poster Show, Gavin Brown Enterprises, New York and Cabinet Gallery, London
2000 70/20000, City Arts Centre, Edinburgh
1999 Contemporary Scottish Drawing, Frames, Perth
1999 Seascapes, Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa, Malta.
1999 Escape, The Highland Landscape, art. tm, Inverness
1998 The Singer Freidlander/ Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London.
1998 Christmas Exhibition, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 1996/97 The Noble Grossart/ Scotland on Sunday Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh and Glasgow School of Art. 1994/96 Dundee Open, McManus Galleries, Dundee. 1991-97 Morrison Portraits, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. 1993 Art in Bloom, Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery 1990 Laing Landscapes, Talbot Rice, Edinburgh and Mall Galleries, London. 1989 Scottish Contemporary Art, Clare Hall, Cambridge. 1977 Land and Sea, The Stirling Gallery. 1997-99 Images of Fife, Pittencrieff House, Kirkcaldy Art Gallery, St Andrews Museum 1969 Works On Paper, 57 Gallery, Edinburgh. 1969 Fife Group Show, Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery. 1967 Two Artists, Loomshop Gallery, Lower Largo.
2013 Saltire Society Award, Arts and Crafts in Architecture, An Suleachan Isle of Lewis
2004 RSW Council Award, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.
2002 Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio Prize, Dundee Print Open.
2002 John Gray Award, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.
2001 Creative and Technical Skills Bursary, DCA Print Studio/ Scottish Arts Council.
1997 Winner, Noble Grossart/ Scotland on Sunday Painting Prize.
1996 Dundee Open Prize.
1996 The Mabel Mackenlay Award, Royal Glasgow Institute.
1995 The May Marshall Brown Award, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour.
1991/93 Laing Landscape Prizes.
2002 Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Isle of Skye
2012 BBC Radio Scotland, Leven/Maclean, Stark Talk.
2001 BBC Radio Scotland, Brian Morton, Leven/Maclean.
1998 BBC Radio Scotland, Leven/Maclean, Heart and Land. Publications and References Include Windows to the West,
Fragments and Traces,
The Open Eye, Edinburgh
Scottish Connections, Galerie Herold, Hamburg.
An Leabhar Mor, Proiseact Nan Ealan
Revisioning Highland Art, Jennie Renton, Textualities.
Poetry Beyond Text, University of Dundee.
Images of Fife, Fife Council
The Grace of The Birch, The Nature of Healing. Edited by Dr Lindsay Blair.
The Curious Eye, Royal Scottish Academy
Prima Materia Robert Slingsby
University of Dundee Fine Art Collection.
University of St Andrews Collection.
Aberdeen University Collection.
Fleming –Wyfold Collection, London.
Sabhl Mor Ostaig, University of the Highlands and Islands.
Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery.
Royal Scottish Academy Collection.
Royal Scottish Academy Diploma Collection.
Demarco European Art Foundation Archive.
Lillie Art Gallery, Milngavie.
Glen Lockhart Knitwear.
British Transport Hotels.
Fife Arts and Theatre Trust.
Fife Council.
East Lothian Health Trust,
Paintings in Hospitals, Art in Healthcare.
The Stewart Group, Aberdeen
New Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow.