Author: Margaret Hunt

Born in Oceanside, California, Margaret studied fine arts at the University of Georgia and Augusta State University where she was a protege of Freeman Schoolcraft and studied under Jim Lyle, Eugenia Comer and Dave Jones. In addition she has studied with Ken Umbach at John Campbell Folkschool and locally with Jim Ginsheer and Thomas Needham. An award winning artist, her work is represented in collections throughout Europe and the United States. Galleries and museums across the United States have represented and shown her work. Her creations have received numerous awards including multiple Best of Shows, have been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally and are part of art collections across the world most notably including the Quilts, Inc. collection and the Thomas Quilt Collection. Her art has been published in numerous art magazines and has also been included in several books such as Creative Quilting: A Page from My Journal. Highlights are her art quilts were selected Favorites at International Quilt Show, Houston. Art critics have compared her art to Thomas Gainsborough paintings. More Recently she has taken classes with the great Charles Reid, Fealing Lyn and Ted Nuttall. Margaret creates art of one kind or another almost every day at her studio on the Savannah River and teaches at various venues across the country.

Day 1882 From I 95 at the NC SC Border

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019Leave a comment

South of the Border. What a wild whacky place. All things Hispanic. Been there as long as I can remember. Can’t wait to paint this one. Crazy colors.

Reading the road signs aka billboards along the highway were our entertainment when we moved anywhere as a military family. South of the Border and Bermashave signs were at the top of our list making long trips shorter.

My parents never let us stop. Would u with four kids in the car?!!

Who could resist drawing this. The landscape is filled with oddball animals like a huge red daschund and I think a black cat. A whale flamingoes the alligator.

Can’t wait to paint this. Page 1 in my Raleigh to ???? Journal. Think the gator may be going on the title page. Came close to doing it today.

Stillman and Birn Zeta

Lamy Ef Noodlers Heart of Darkeness Ink

Margaret finally in Raleigh Xoxoxox

Whacky Wild #SouthoftheBorder #stillmanandbirn #ink #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #georgia #artist #charlesreid #urbansketcher #northcarolina #urbansketching

Day 1881 -10 days of crazy

February 6, 20197 Comments

Begins today. Show opens Feb 14 6-8 at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Laurens Street.

Show mostly delivered. 22 paintings. I left two in my cavernous garage so back to Aiken in the am on my way to Raleigh. A slight detour of twenty miles. 😵😵😵

The Key West chicken strip will be for sale.

I drew these sitting on a lawyers steps near the post office In Key West. There’s a huge flock at the post office.

It was so hot I went to the Starbucks on Duval St and drew this one.

Think lots of glass windows with a good street view from my table.

And yes there are chickens on Duval.

These are about 7″ tall. Ripped from a 40″ long piece of Stonehenge Print paper. Love that stuff.

This is from one of the 8×10″ stillman and birn Alpha sketchbooks that will be on display in cases at the show next week. Sketchbooks will NOT be for sale. Pentel Brush pen and a Lamy Ef. Noodlers Eelskin ink.

Hmm well if you give me 1000s of $$$$ mAybe.

I did tell Traci if the place caught on fire leave the pile of paintings and take the sketchbooks.

Margaret dreading the drive to Raleigh via Aiken. Xoxoxo

Sketch books will be in the show next week. Drawing the professor while taking notes. #aiken #usca #sketchbook #sketching #dailydrawing #stillmanandbirnalpha #ink #lamy #sketch

Day 1880 Downton Tea Party

February 6, 2019February 6, 20192 Comments

The Fascinating Ladies who came to the Downton tea. You know I had to draw some of them. These two ladies were sitting at the table right next to us. I loved their fascinators. So I drew them.

Anyway getting ready to head to Raleigh for a class so that’s it doe now.

Twisbee in my stillman and birn. Deartrementis document brown ink. CharlesReid palette plus opera pink.

Delivering the show tomorrow the. Off to Raleigh. I begin my week do run run run.

Margaret who shouldn’t have taken that nap this afternoon. Xoxoxo

#aiken #ladilce #sketchbook #sketching #dailydrawing #stillmanandbirnalpha #ink #lamy #sketch

Day 1879 A Portrait is a painting

February 4, 2019Leave a comment

With something wrong with the mouth. – John Singer Sargent

some of these definitely qualify. I do like to take notes and draw people while I do. Some of the sketches of Joe turned out some bomb. Read the notes. Some of them are quite interesting. He never holds still very long. He did say today that painting is a dance. Aka he’s the dancer.

young and slim with thick black hair and penchant for plaid or striped shirts a very thoughtful young man.

A thinking painter. Read the notes.

All the frames are done. Hurrah. Delivering the show to the Aiken Center for the Arts on Wednesday. HURRAH. thanks Kristin and V at Art in Broad!’ I highly recommend them.

Cake row at Betsy’s in Aiken

Margaret off to meet w friend for dinner. I have managed to meet friends TWICE for meals today. Interestingly one friend LOVES to indulge in cake looking not buying for dessert. I told her I liked to indulge in cake licking. 🤗

Xoxoxox

Drawing the professor while taking notes. Really need to paint these. #aiken #usca #sketchbook ching #dailydrawing #stillmanandbirnalpha #ink #lamy #sketch

Day 1878 It’s Saturday

February 3, 2019February 3, 20194 Comments

Practicing for my class with Mario Robinson next weekend. He’s been compared to Andrew Wyeth.

The drawing on 12×16 Canson Plein Air art board

The grisaille layer. Grisaille means greys in French. You start with that layer and then lay in the flesh color over it once the greys are dry. Supposedly you are finished when you get to that point.

Typically Grissaille is used with oils not watercolor. This method is known for being highly transparent.

And a problematic approach when you only have two hours to paint the portrait.

As my friend Mike said NOT my favorite of Macy.

I decided I was annoyed with her face being too dark and whipped it out with a damp Kleenex and daubing at her face. Also the right eye was too low. One of the great things about the board is you can literally wipe it off.

Right now leaning toward putting this in the recycle bin. Can’t paint on the back or maybe I should put some gesso juice on it and see what happens. Aka Fun Sunday.

Katie Padgett pastel

Our latte barista Fred’s fun acrylic 2×3’

Al Beyer oil

Tim Needham Watercolor in Canson plein air art board

One pair done.

Margaret hot on knitting another sock and watching the Hour on Acorn-Riveting-I should be getting a drawing for class tomorrow. Oopsey.

Hmm who needs wool socks when it will be 70 all week?Xoxoxo

Macy- 11×16” Canson Plein Air Watercolor board #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #canson #aquarelle #southcarolina #aiken #artist #lifestyleblogger #lifestylechange #drawing #sketching #cansonpaper #charlesreid #lifemodel #pleinair

Day 1877 Sketches popping off my pen

February 3, 2019February 3, 20192 Comments

More of the EarthFare ladies. Twisbee seems to be a hot pen for me the last few days really enjoying the D”Artrementis Document Brown Ink. Hope it does NOT run out in the near future because it’s scarce as hens teeth.

If the maid is familiar it’s because

She’s our former model Ilania. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

We wandered into a. downton abbey tea today at La Dolce after sketching. Who knew!? Such great photos and of course I had to draw a couple of the ladies with their fascinator hats.

Margaret trying to finish a sock today. Xoxoxo

#twisbee #stillmanandbirn #ink #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #georgia #artist #charlesreid #urbansketcher #urbansketchingaugusta #urbansketching #augusta #earthfare

Day 1876 done! ladies who Listen!

February 1, 2019Leave a comment

Really like the way this turned out. I also got another water tower inked. Ready to paint when the mood strikes.

Most of these ladies were intently listening to the lady on the bottom right. Charles Reid palette colors. Twisbee pen, deartrementis document brown ink and stillman and birn Alpha journal.

One sock done and the last one underway. The book has the pattern for it in it. My go to vogue sock book.

Margaret who whipped up a Pepe’s Coconut Cream pie for sketching tomorrow. Yum Xoxoxox

Meetings at EarthFare #twisbee #stillmanandbirn #ink #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #georgia #artist #charlesreid #urbansketcher #urbansketchingaugusta #urbansketching #augusta #earthfare

Day 1875 Sometimes u have to draw

February 1, 2019Leave a comment

I hadn’t just sat down to draw people in a while. So today I went to EarthFare for a few groceries and drew the people in the cafe. Loved doing it.

Haven’t done in it in a while. This is how I learned to draw people – sitting in a coffee shop or cafe a doctors office a public place and drawing the people.

Going to post these on urban sketching on Facebook and see if they bounce them. I did get out and draw them in an urban environment right?!

Twisbee Pen deartementis document brown stillman and birn Alpha.

Only a few pages left til the book is done. HURRAH.

Did I draw that last watertower aka Porkchops Tower 3. Yes but not painted yet.

Had to take care of the thriving squirrels that knocked the top of the bird feeder and SAT in it gobbling.

New bird feeder with a screw on top. So far they can’t even slide down the plastic wire wrapped cord to sit on the roof.

Brown thrasher on the old one. I taped the top on with packing tape. Won’t be attractive BUT I bet the squirrels can’t get tape open.

Zoe and I went for a nice walk and collected photos of the Canadian geese in the old rice paddies in our neighborhood. I even took the BIG nikon with the telephoto lens. Better pics still on the camera card.

Too pretty a day to stay inside painting all afternoon.

Like my sketchbook almost done!! One more inch til the toe!!!

More manana. Back to my sock.

Margaret Xoxoxox

Day 1874 My nemesis?!

January 30, 2019January 31, 20192 Comments

Porkchop Tower II 9×12

One more go at the water tower. I redrew it this am. It looks better BUT sky wash is NOT what I wanted.

Hmm maybe this will be a series. Try another sky tomorrow?!

So other things to try.

Lay it down at a slight angle instead of almost a 90 degree angle when I paint the sky.

Also ink the holes in the ironwork legs after I paint the sky color in.

Maybe a quin gold sky?!

Leave more white so I don’t need gouache.

No gouache

Only paint that was different today was I used white gouache. ALOT OF it.

Number 3. It IS a series!!

Margaret who has a headache and is quitting for the day cause she can’t paint. Blaming the headache. Xoxoxo

Porkchops Tower II. MORE Crusty Rust in downtown Augusta or is it vintage!? 13th & Ellis St #ink #watercolor #art #painting #artist #painter #aquarelle #georgia #artist #charlesreid #urbansketcher #urbansketchingaugusta #urbansketching #usk #globalsketchers

Day 1873 Train Wreck?!

January 29, 2019Leave a comment

One of the reasons I do this blog is to show that NOBODY has a successful artwork everytime. We all mess up and that’s ok. Turn the paper over and draw nudder one as my granddaughter says.

This may be today’s train wreck. Not quite the glowing water tower I had in mind. Might help if I darken the sky. I dunno. Also cropping it one way or the other would help.

Or this? I also forgot to use my magic red wc pencil on it. That might help. I did use my white gel pen on it.

The drawing

Pass number one. I did have fun playing w the trees but crashed and burned on the sky wash.

Layer of burnt sienna cerulean and alizarin on the trees. Cerulean sky.

More of the same colors on the trees. Layer after layer.

I wet the sky to dab out some clouds with a Kleenex

Clouds dabbed our. More Cerulean burnt sienna and Quin gold on the tower. Same thing on trees.

BS Cerulean in clouds and tower. Used a flat to make the rust streaks on the tower. Oh and I drew in some branches painted the tower legs.

Tree got too dark. So did the tower. I know dab the tree off w water and a Kleenex. 😂

Good podcast! Internationally known watercolorist Joseph Zbukvic talks about “traps” artists can fall into, how various countries handle art and education, and much more, in this week’s PleinAir Podcast with Eric Rhoads.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/plein-air-art-podcast/id1076460838?mt=2&i=1000428630955

lGood review is Silver black velvet brushes on YouTube.

They are a less expensive but still great alternative to kolinsky sable brushes will love these. I get them on Amazon.