Me & My Art Monday: Meet Maggie O’Leary

By January 26, 2015 Me & My Art

This week’s featured artist:  Maggie O’Leary, member since 2011:

Maggie O'LearyME:  I grew up in Cocoa Florida, a quiet Southern town full of fishermen, surfers, and rocket scientists. People ask how long have I been an artist and I tell them all of my life. I would fill my coloring books, draw the nature that surrounded my Indian River paradise and make my best grades in science classes because I was good at drawing dissected frogs. By the time I was in eighth grade, I was pursuing art seriously, particularly, scientific illustration. I lived in Richmond, Virginia with my husband and daughter, which permitted me the privilege of attending Virginia Commonwealth University where I received a BFA in Communication Art and Design; my tract was in Illustration. We moved to Annapolis, Maryland in March of 2011 for work and to be closer to family. My daughter and her husband joined us in May of 2013 after living in Chile. We enjoy the water, hiking, cooking and spending time exploring the streets of this historic city.

Maggie O'Leary, %22Three LIttle Birds%22MY ART:  My inspirations are still driven by nature with light and color being special stimuli for me. But everything has to tell a story. I would be hard pressed to choose Renoir or NC Wyeth as my favorite artist. Figure drawing was particularly emphasized in college, but more and more I am drawn to the wonderful plein air painters that live in this area. Fine art or illustration, I love them both. Feeling drives one, the other is driven by study and both require good craftsmanship. I work in all mediums: oils, pastels, watercolors and printmaking. Like myself, my art is constantly evolving.  View my work: http://maggieolearyart.com

MFA & ME: I joined MFA just a few weeks after moving here.  It was the perfect springboard for meeting other artists and being part of the community. Some of the exciting things I have been involved with are: The Member’s Shows, Mélange, the 50th Anniversary Committee, Collector’s Choice, The Sketchbook Project, Paint Annapolis and my favorite thing – gallery sitting. It is the best investment I made right after moving here and I pass that word on to every artist I meet.

 

Spread the word about…YOU:   Every week, we feature an MFA member for “Me & My Art Monday.” If you would like to be featured, please submit a photo and three paragraphs: one each about YOU, YOUR ART, and MFA & YOU totaling approximately 350 words, to meandmyart@mdfedart.org.

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