Untitled

Curly Listens for the Storm, 2003

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 under painting 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 multi-sensory experience for the owner.