If painting is all about the light, it follows that the dark is equally important. Peggy is drawn to scenes with strong light and strong shadows, and it is the interplay of the two that inspires her work. Always looking for the abstract design in natural and man-made things, Peggy’s paintings help people see their environment with new eyes.
In her paintings of industrial, mechanical, and electrical subjects, Peggy explores the themes of human interconnectedness, mankind’s creations versus Nature, and our dependence on the power grid. She finds beauty in the overlooked, mundane scenes found in large cities and small towns. Peggy also finds inspiration in the impermanence of ‘permanent’ human installations, such as buildings, statuary and mining equipment. Her technique is watercolor/ink resist where she creates the darkest darks in the painting by first applying a resist to the paper, which is then covered in black ink. Once the ink is dry, the resist is removed, and watercolors are used to finish the painting.
In her plein air paintings, Peggy approaches the landscape in the same way she approaches her industrial subjects, looking for strong light and shadow, a solid abstract design underlying the scene, and the opportunity to say something new about the world around her. A move to Crested Butte in 2013 has provided endless inspiration in the natural beauty of the area.
Painting full time for over 16 years, Peggy is an award-winning artist whose work has been influenced by Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, Van Gogh, and many others. She has taken workshops with Colorado artist Stephen Quiller, adopting his color theory to her own style. She was featured in an article in Watercolor magazine in the Winter 2003 issue, and was chosen as one of the “Ones to Watch” in 2007 by Watercolor Magic. Her work has appeared in numerous national and international shows.
She is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society, and the Colorado Watercolor Society.
To view Peggy’s work, click here.