Artist Spotlight: Margaret Ryall

Margaret Ryall, On Top of The World, collaged encaustic monoprints.

Margaret Ryall, Composition in time #22, 16” x 16”, found wood and metal, 2016

Margaret Ryall is a Canadian artist living in St. John's, Newfoundland. After a fulfilling career as an educator, Margaret shifted her focus to visual art and has participated in group and solo shows since 2001. Her summers spent on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Duntara, NL have had a profound impact on her artistic practice.

Her recent work in wood assemblage and collage invites viewers to look more deeply into forgotten fragments of the past and to consider how the power and majesty of the ocean affects our lives in many ways. Margaret is an ardent arts advocate and has served on the board of several arts groups including Bonavista Biennale. She is represented by The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John's, NL.

Margaret Ryall, Composition in time #27, 16” x 16”, found wood, 2016

Margaret Ryall, Moon Magic, encaustic monotype, 8.5" x 8.5".

Margaret's experience of working with encaustic. 

"My first introduction to encaustic and R&F Handmade Paints was in 2009 when Laura Moriarity  came to Newfoundland to teach an encaustic workshop at Torbay Bight Studio. At the time encaustic was a totally new medium to me and I didn't know what to expect. It was a magical four days and by the end I was hooked. I came away from that workshop  with a good understanding of the basics and used the R&F's website and videos to extend my learning.  

Encaustic is such a manipulative medium with so many applications. Incising, scraping, layering, and embedding, as well as painting and monotype all appealed to my desire to leave my mark on work in a variety of ways. These possibilities allowed me to continue my work in mixed media and create multilayered works with wonderful transparency and depth.

Margaret Ryall, Light over the Bay, Duntara, collaged encaustic monotype, 16" x 16".

Encaustic monotype became a favorite, and after much experimentation I developed techniques that enable me to create both abstract work and realistic landscapes. In a natural progression from monotype I used the prints in collage, my current focus.

Over the years I have tried different brands of encaustic, and while I have adopted several colors to add to my palette, I remain a die-hard fan of R&F Handmade Paints. The pigments are so strong and luscious."

To view additional work by Margaret Ryall, visit her website: margaretryall.com.