“I’m all about the story and my artist eye tends to settle on the places, situations and happenstances that magically offer a visual narrative that I want told to me again and again.”
Visual Art
My formal fine art education began at Florida State University and has continued over the years to include experience as a photographer, illustrator and graphic designer. Different types of my original artwork have been featured in gallery shows, appeared in countless publications, and sold in retail stores throughout the state.
Beyond my creative talents and skills, my professional conservation background working for several environmental organizations, two water management districts, and the Florida Park Service also plays a distinctive role in my artistic style — and the subjects I choose to visually celebrate.
Storytelling
Me on my beloved US 98 east of St. George Island.
Because I’m from both a famously peculiar state and a grandly eccentric family, I have always felt a obligation to clarify what is — and what is not — dysfunctional about my natural and cultural heritage. They are what they are, and for the record, “Yes, I adore them both.”
I’m “Old Florida,” which in a state filled with residents and visitors from someplace else, means my people have a long history here, and I know the background. I appreciate not only how enchanting a certain landscape is, but also how it works, and the fragility of its future. And I cherish not only our particular ways of doing things, but the good and bad intentions behind those cultural traditions as well.
“If you could say it, you wouldn’t have to paint it,” is especially true about the kinds of wondrous beauty and soulful moments that capture my imagination here in the Sunshine State. Still, I do find words are helpful in illuminating what led me to notice “it,” or relate to “it,” or feel compelled to communicate “it.”
I have lived all over this state in all kinds of fashion — from Tallahassee and South Beach to High Springs and what was once rural West Broward County — and I can’t help but want to clarify the value of Florida’s natural treasures, and to honor why our lifestyle and perspectives are shaped by them.
The stories I tell about each painting are designed to educate, inspire, amuse and inform. The paintings have their own way of communicating what is special about this stunning peninsula, but I also hope my words will go a step further and instill a greater appreciation and understanding of this crazy-beautiful spot on our “Pale Blue Dot.”
~ Margaret (“Peg”) McPherson