Margaret Rinkevich has been a resident of Telluride for 16 years. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Arizona, where she specialized in the Italian Renaissance. She has been dedicated to the arts and has taught Art History to university students and museum docents. She is the author of several publications about tribal art and culture. In 2015, Margaret participated in Ah Haa School for the Arts: Second Annual Juried Exhibition of Regional Artists, BEST OF 2014 and contributed to The Telluride Painting School lecture series with a talk entitled, “Art of the ‘So What?!’: The History of Still Life Painting”. In 2016 she was one of three jurors for the 3rd Annual Exhibition of Regional Artists. Her work hangs in numerous private collections throughout the US.
Who are some of the influences that most move you?
Joan Mitchell is a favorite. She was an American Abstract Expressionist painter living just outside Paris, her painting style was very tumultuous and completely fearless. Also, Richard Diebenkorn, a Bay Area painter who began as an Abstract Expressionist in the 40s and 50s, and, then, gave it up because he thought it was too easy. He later returned to it and is probably most known for it, particularly his Ocean Park Series.
Do you paint from your dreams?
No, I’m far too cerebral for that. Though there is something of an intrapersonal element to Abstract Expressionist art, I prefer to approach a canvas with no preconceptions. The evolution (and its inherent struggle) is the best part. I love the physical act of painting. It has been said that Abstract Expressionist painters do not paint pictures but rather an event. I agree.
What was an epiphanal moment in your life?
For the BLUE series it was when, while reading, I stumbled across a passage about pearls. Pearls in antiquity were called margarites. The most highly-prized pearls were found in mollusks with blue interiors. While I was already developing a deep affection for the color, I feel in love with the concept that the origin of my name was mantled in it as well.
Are politics important to you and does it work its way into your art?
I love politics and I’m a complete news junkie but I don’t paint from this space.
What're your favorite things about living in the mountains?
Their steadfastness and their unpredictability. They are the constant in our lives here, they are there when we wake up and when we go to sleep. Yet, they control the weather, they are a catalysts for our local patterns and we never know exactly what atmospheric conditions will occur. The evolution is the best part.