Combining her love of the outdoors with her creative talents, artist Marga Ingram uses oils to paint images from nature, and then uniquely showcases them in three-dimensional frames she sculpts from clay. The result is an earthy, yet sophisticated style with a folk-art quality.
Part painting, part handmade ceramic frame, her creative pieces bring the outdoors inside in a very special way. She says her artwork is about being at peace in a beautiful world and each is a one-of-a-kind representation of a place she loves.
She starts with a rough sketch then proceeds to create the design on a piece of canvas sealed with gesso (a plaster-like material that creates a rough surface). She layers oil paints to catch the luminous feeling of outdoor light. Her technique is pre-Renaissance where a layer of burnt umber paint is applied to create a sepia-toned underpainting over which many more layers are applied to create the finished product.
She dresses each canvas with a three-dimensional frame made from rolled-out clay. The frames can consist of a variety of hand-cut elements, including walls, pillars, a top and a shelf. She says the shelf on each piece is intended to hold a piece of nature to create a multisensory experience for the owner.
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