The work in this exhibition covers many themes, said Scott, as over the years her style has evolved and developed and as her circumstances have changed so has her approach to painting. She paints mainly in acrylics and mixed media but works also in watercolours, printmaking and ceramics. She alternates her media, so she does not become bored with her work.
While a lot of the work is realism, other work is more contemporary in nature but it is all about the environment where she lives between the maunga Taranaki and the sea. She calls this work “Personal Symbolism” as it relates to her experiences of growing up on the Taranaki coast.
Scott is a foundation member of the Oakura Arts Trail and the Taranaki Arts Trail, and this year is the first time in 22 years that she won’t have her Art by the Sea Studio open for either of the Trails or be involved in the Garden Festival, instead focusing on her exhibition in Stratford.
Scott’s first solo exhibition was held in Kaponga in 1983. She has exhibited throughout New Zealand and been involved in group showings in England Paris, New York, Tokyo and Melbourne.
She’s not just an artist, but a published author too, with her book Self Portrait of a Paua written and published by her in 2015. She said the book is partly autobiographical and partly a teaching resource.
An art teacher herself, Scott had just finished working as the head of the art department at Ōpunake High School and was frustrated by the lack of books suitable for teaching art in rural schools, inspiring her to write her own.
Over her career as an artist, Scott has also produced many commissioned works and is the designer of Jason Products placemats the “Sea Bounty” Series which were marketed throughout New Zealand and overseas.
A 2025 calendar with images from the exhibition will be for sale during the exhibition.
The Details:
What: Margaret Scott solo exhibition 700x700
When: October 20-November 10
Where: Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford
