BODIES OF WATER
How I make art could be easily described by any sighted person watching me at practice in my studio. It’s a straightforward process - transferring and transforming images, often from a camera, to a stretched canvas or gesso board. How and why the images are chosen is a different story but they are impressions of times in, over and across water. Not a roadmap but my own visual charting of water and how it handles people.
Living Water
Mad Water
Rollover
Univocity
Liz Floats
Leaving Eden
I was born in Trieste on the northeastern most coast of Italy. My sister and I were put in buggies and carted over cobbled streets and docks from which we sailed to America for the first time. Family photos show the sadness of departure and apprehension. That was the first one. Each trip left me imprinted with the power and solemnity of water. The water opened my eyes to a basic but profound universal view at a very young age.
My current paintings are a collection of encounters with water. In my departure from painting bridges, streets and shell roads of the Galveston Bay area I knew I was going off the deep end.
The dive was more than worth it, I needed to do it for myself to grow as an artist. To be able to give expression to something I have known for so long.
The waters split open, you enter and the world changes. Your eyes register a place altered by a fixed instability - streams of visual information that parallel and cross your senses. Color, light, and weight are changed. You float, swim, flutter and dive in what feels like another universe. Disconnected with your terrestrial self.
Director’s Choice Exhibit Introduction
It is with great pride that we introduce Margaret Nelson-O’Brien as our first Director’s Choice artist—a selection that beautifully embodies the spirit of the Glassell School of Art. Margaret’s work and her journey speak to the timeless qualities we cherish: the ever-present potential for creative renewal, and the way art can transcend personal histories and experiences, uniting us in the shared language of vision and form.
Margaret’s pieces reflect a deep connection to place, memory, and transformation, capturing the vibrancy of her coastal surroundings and the quiet power of observation. Her work resonates strongly with our mission to provide an inclusive space where artists of all backgrounds and experiences can flourish. As someone who has rekindled her practice later in life, Margaret reminds us that the path of creative discovery is never linear or confined by time. Her art is alive with the spirit of exploration and excellence that we strive to cultivate in our community, and she embodies our dedication to ensuring that art is accessible and transformative for all who seek it.
Margaret’s selection as our inaugural Director’s Choice artist honors her personal journey of rediscovery and celebrates our commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment. We invite you to experience her work and share in the stories that have emerged from her renewed passion—a reminder of art’s enduring capacity to inspire, connect, and evolve.
~ Paul Coffey
