Margaret G. Still
Saugerties, NY
Website
blogger.com
How would you describe your work?
My paintings are about the beauty of the modern landscape, distilled to its essence. Light, color, and dynamic shapes and spaces are important. I pick images that are evocative, vivid, and blunt. Most are from photographs I’ve taken over the years, or from found images.
What inspires you?
My eyes see something that is exciting and if possible I photograph it. When I want to start a new painting, I look through the images I have and whatever appeals becomes a painting.
Can you speak about your process?
After deciding on a few images I want to paint, I draw the basic angles and shapes onto the surface with a pencil. The images usually already have the basic color schemes I want to use. But as the paint is applied, I veer away from the original image. The magic of the way the paint looks, and the gradual realization of what is important and beautiful about the image are what guides me. Each picture has its individual requirements.
How did you become interested in art?
I drew from early childhood. I thought about doing fashion design drawings or paperback book covers when I was a teenager. In college, I was lucky enough to have some superb art teachers who helped me develop as an artist without forcing any art styles or a clean perfection on me.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
My first love was Leonardo. His figures are beautifully and expressively made – and they are also a little strange and amphibian-like, which appeals to me. I love Roman Wall Paintings, The Mannerists, the Picasso & Braque Cubist work, Futurist Art, Charles Sheeler and Edward Hopper, Pop Art, and the American artists Richard Diebenkorn and Ed Ruscha.
