Less Wax, More Acrylic

The past month I have taken a break from painting with wax. I have started working larger with acrylic again (mural painting). I can not believe the journey of life and the ups and downs and twists and turns that come along with following your passion and listening to your heart. The year of 2010 is bringing many wonderful things in and out of my life. I am learning so many different aspects of what life can be if I am open to the possibilities and live my truth. One thing is for sure, I never know what is going to happen. Making sure I take opportunity when it knocks on my door, especially if it is not scheduled continues to be an important part of my developing life.

Here are a few photos of the past few weeks. I was able to see the new additions to the families, make new friends, be inspired by nature, and of course, keeping laughing all along the way.

Working Large and Staying Connected

I have been working on a set of 5 panels for the past three weeks. The panels are 7 x 84 in. These particular panels are inspired by California forest fires.





As the first layers were fused on to the panels and my space in the studio was becoming uncomfortably tight, I took some time to reflect on the work. Curious about the direction the panels wanted to go in and how I would stay connected with the panels without controlling the work itself can be a challenge. The panels lay flat on the table, taking whatever came their way, they had no choice. I was looking over them, always. I started to feel disconnected from my work. I felt like there was some sort of a hierarchy going on in the studio. I needed to change the space. Working flat is great but these panels are asking for something different. When I arrived back to the studio it was time for organizing and rearranging. I stacked my tables, cleaned up wax and angled my 7 foot panels on my shelves so I could feel how much bigger they are than I am. It was the scale I had started to disconnect with. Now that the panels are up they command a different type of attention. Now I look up at the panels. I love them, I can press my whole body up against them and really connect with the work.






This is where the work is at. I will be reading poetry and philosophy in the next few months which will inspire the work and open me up to new ideas and new levels of thinking. With my new library card I am able to check out 99 items at a time! 99!

studiomargo in Davenport

Last Saturday was the artists reception at the new Davenport Art Gallery located on HWY 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. The theme of the exhibition is 'Love and Chocolate' below is my painting that is showing in the gallery. The gallery feels wonderful with the theme fully enforced in multiple mediums.


In my past posts I talked about my studio losing power for two days straight and the ink and paper pieces I created as a result. Well since then, the power is on and the inspiration of these robotic creatures is not only still with me, but seems to be growing larger each day, every second I breathe. Above is an acrylic and ink piece, 16x20in. Not only is this work sparked by a power outage, it is also being fueled by my interactions with my new community on a daily basis. The feeling of truly being accepted, respected and loved for who you are and what you do is an overwhelmingly amazing experience and feeling. I feel like a Protea seed sprouting, well Im not so sure how Protea seeds feel when they sprout, but, I would like to imagine they feel like I do right now.





Many things and interactions with others fills me with joy, however when I see children and adults interacting with my work together, that is the icing on the cake.

The work is up for the rest of the month, if you happen to be in California and find yourself on the coast, travel down, or up and you will not be disappointed by the landscape and people you meet along the way.

Davenport Art Gallery information:
450 Highway One Davenport CA 95017
e: davenportgallery@gmail.com
p:831-426-1199

Encaustic Adventure

If there is one thing I am sure of in this life, it is that working with wax is an adventure. I have found wood with an interesting shape. So I gathered the shapes and gave them a new life, a new, waxy life. With an idea in my mind and a heated wok, I went to work. I am a painter however when I meet Encaustic, she opened my mind to new possibilities and showed me the door to imagination. Since I have been working in wax I see objects differently then when I was purely painting with acrylic and water colors. Below are some of the images of the process I am going through with the wax work. Working in form like this is a bit different and I am learning along the way.





I started out with a cake-like shape. I was very eager to just put it all together and once I had most of the pieces attached, you can see that I was not able to fuse the insides as well as I would like to. Looking at those inside, half fused half cared for just didn't sit right within me. I slept on it and thought about the shape and what it wanted from me. What the form wants from me is to be taken care of. So I woke up and with the morning light shining in the studio I took it all apart.


I warmed the parts where all the pieces joined together and detached them. I took each one, like a small child, held it, and cared for it. I ironed each piece and created a new form. I have been wanting a love affair and it seems that this sclupture has taken my fancy. The work is still in progress and I will keep you up to date on my new relationship.

Power Out Series

Here in California and around the world people are experiencing different types of weather. With the storms on the central coast came wind, rain, hail, thunder and lighting. The power lines were down as a result of all the mother nature doing what she does best. I was with out power for two days straight but I was not powerless. I kept the work going in the studio and utilized mediums that would not need power. I have been carrying around these huge sheets of water color paper for about 3 years. It was time to use them. I wanted to create something simple and powerful at the same time. I ended up creating a little over 60 ink drawings on 4x6 sized paper.

Below are a few of the drawings I created.

The power is back on as well as the heat in the studio.

Painters in San Francisco

This weekend I found myself in the artistically oozing city of San Francisco. I went gallery hoppin' with the painting posse. This group dynamic I have found myself in is supportive, positive, and full of honest critique and feedback about the work. The work of all the artist is so diverse it is always fun to interact with different styles, color palettes, voices, and agendas.

So away we go, with a birthday in the mix the vibe was full of passion and celebration. We were off, first stop was to the group show "ID Redux" at Cain Schulte Gallery. Artist Michael McConnell is showing. I enjoy his color palette and unique subjects he paints. McConnell is quite diverse in his mediums. I found myself a few months back at his open studio in SF and I enjoy his sculpture work just as much as his drawings and paintings. Great work. Other artists showing include: Daniel Ochoa, Kirstine Reiner, and Lars Theuerkauff.

Away we went, down the curvy staircase coated with an orange pathway, note the very exciting handle, that closes the door. It just closes it, it does not open it, I was slightly disappointed. Can't win them all, right?

So a friend opened the door, and away we went onto the streets and onward to the next gallery.

In my flurry of walking the streets of SF, watching people everywhere and noting the color palettes I neglected to get the name of the next gallery. Here is the work, and I will just let it speak for itself.

Well, time to head out and on to the show! Next stop, Space, to the opening of a group figurative showing.

Oil painter, David Molesky has 10 paintings in the show which shows his diverse range of painting styles. This was my first time seeing so much of his work in one showing and it was great to see that timeline in person.

Michael Ross is showing three paintings.

Maja Ruznic's energy and passion for painting is felt when being captivated by her strokes and color palette.

Zina Al-Shukri. I enjoy her use of scale in this series of work. Maja and Zina just got back from a group showing in Berlin. Their work will be up for the rest of the month.

Here are the four artists who all paint at Arbor Studios on Market Street. The show was well attended and there was a diverse selection of art as well.