a week at the shack, Maffra                                                          September 2022

Margaret grasped the opportunity to spend a week in the Monaro on the edge of the Snowy Mountains in Southern N.S.W, The shack is a delightful, simple, thoughtfully, architecturally designed cottage sited alongside the Snowy River, The house and barn are attractive to paint as well as the beautifully diverse landscape in which they sit.  Margaret was drawn to the views from the latticed windows of the cottage, the pristine waters of the river, the massive granite boulder outcrops and the spare, windswept hills.  A week of sketching, painting and making in this powerful environment led to a wide range of works produced in the studio.

Gundy                                                                                                     August 2022

Margaret has enjoyed many return trips to Gundy in rolling green hills of the Upper Hunter Valley on  the lands of the Wonnarua Nation. She first came here as a teenager and was taught to ride a horse. She has spent time here over the years enjoying family celebrations, pub nights, crisp morning walks and sunset drinks by open fires with old friends. This peaceful, gentle, rich  landscape inspired these recent works

Looking Out Exhibition, return to Wapengo series.         
exhibited at Chrissie Cotter Gallery                                                       July 2022  

Margaret’s works in this exhibition, Looking Out, are all based on material she gathered last summer on a number of visits to the rugged and relatively untouched far south coast of N.S.W. on Yuin country.  This area held many childhood memories.  A landscape which first gripped her long ago. Her recollection of sunsets, rugged rocks, strong tides and chilling, crisp, pristine water held very strong. In 2021 she excitedly arranged to return and uncover whether her memories were rose tinted.  She wanted to experience this magical place as an adult.  In February 2022 she spent several weeks camping in Mimosa Rocks National Park, clambering over rocks, swimming, exploring, remembering and absorbing this extraordinary environment.  She made numerous sketches, drawings, paintings and photographs.  On return to her Sydney studio, she collates these reference materials and reflects.
Her paintings capture this rich subject matter and are filled with the emotion brought up when vivid childhood memories bump against an adult sensibility bringing a better understanding of the history of custody of land and the responsibilities of care. This awareness permeated her reflections and she chose to paint the landscapes  where she most felt the passage of history both recent and ancient and her momentary presence in this narrative.
 
 

Infinite Spaces Exhibition, The Moree Gallery                                      ​May 2022

Windows on the World, lockdown dreaming.                                             2021

 An Easel By the Door Exhibition, The Moree Gallery                          May 2021 

head north then west                                                                                 2020 -

An essential aspect of Margaret's art practice is her immersion in the landscape.  Multiple road trips have inspired this ongoing series, ‘head north and then west’.  It is a vibrant celebration of the landscape of north west NSW and exudes the sense of freedom and joy she experiences by returning to nature.

 Just Keep Walking                                                                                             2021 

A daily ritual of walking in her local park, often as dawn breaks, is a routine Margaret relishes. The observations as seasons rotate, the abundance of park life and the pleasure this brings,  profoundly influence this series.

The Australian East Coast.                                                                               2020

Margaret grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney and feels deeply connected to the sand and sea. Her upbringing was an idyllic combination of playing in the bushland and swimming at the beach.  This was a time of unsupervised freedom when the only rule was to be home before dark. The comforting sound of crashing waves or the sight of a sleepy lagoon, draw Margaret back to  the coastal landscape again and again.

 travelling through time in the Kimberley Ranges                      ​        2019/2020

When Margaret returned to her urban studio after a 4000 kilometre journey through the Kimberley region in Western Australia she urgently wanted to capture the beauty of the region.  The temperature of the environment and the tranquillity she experienced in the vast landscape are communicated through these ​ works.

Works from artist residency on Skopelos Island, Greece                              ​2019

In September 2019, Margaret spent a month in Greece and was completely taken with the beauty of the landscape and generosity of the people. An Artist Residency on the Island of Skopelos enabled her to translate this experience into paint.  The changing colours of the Aegean set against the green of the 'green island', as Skopelos is known, are always present in these paintings.​​