Image of Margaret Moss painting, at Presque Isle Park.

Fresh Coast Plein Air Painting Festival And Competition, Marquette, Michigan, 2026

Artist Statement

I enjoy interpreting the textures and colors of nature, directly, by painting on-site, 'en plein air', with oil paint. I am familiar with many wildflowers and trees native to the Great Lakes area, where I live. When I'm not painting, I enjoy 're-wilding' areas with native plants

When the weather cooperates, painting can be divine. But often, there are the challenges of hot, cold, and windy weather. There are the bugs that bite, but more often bugs get stuck in the paint, on my palette and on the canvas. Recently, a swarm of unlucky gnats got stuck in my 'sky' - while I was painting at Dorothy Carnes Park for the Jefferson Plein Air 2026 event. The bugs are part of the painting, now.

I am constantly driven to be a better painter. I have studied paintings since I was young, noticing brush strokes, the way colors are used, and how atmospheric conditions are created. My parents had a painting of people in a rainstorm over the couch. I can still picture the way the dresses were painted with a couple of strokes.

I developed the technique that I use after trying various other media. I appreciate the philosophy and techniques of the Impressionists & Post-Impressionists (of course), and also the loose ink painting style developed during the Tang and Song dynasties in China and later in Japan. I paint with oil because of the intensity of the colors, and the freedom of having wet paint. I paint thickly - my paintings can take a month or more to dry - another challenge to deal with.

After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and visual art from Indiana State University, I taught at several universities including Herron School of Art & Design in Indianapolis. My education mostly encouraged exploration, not any particular technique. I learn from that which inspires me.