Margaret Rossiter received her initial education at the Banff School of Fine Arts, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College. She holds a Masters in Fine Arts from Ohio University and a Masters of Education from Western University. Her work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ontario and the USA. For many years she presented annual studio shows in London and the Georgian Bay area. In 2008, she participated in the landmark exhibition The River Project: 19 London Artists Turn to the Thames, which travelled throughout southwestern Ontario and included a major illustrated publication. At present, her creative energies are directed towards creating placards that depict native birds and animals, thereby bringing nature into the human conversation about climate change.
Biography Courtesy of Margaret Rossiter
I am a painter whose art is a spiritual practice akin to meditation. As an act of devotion, I paint the world as I perceive it, as honestly and directly as I can. This is a form of prayer, and a way to nourish spirit. What my art celebrates above all is life force, the soul of nature. My art is also a response to beauty. I see something that takes my breath away, opens my heart, and moves me. My humanity is touched and I need to respond by painting to evoke and distil the essence of that moment. It is a moment of remembering the best of what I, as a human being, can be. For the viewer, each painting is a window on some fragment of the web of life; a reminder, on some level, of the Whole of which each of us is but a part. Each painting is a reflection of the truth that we are all beings embodied on a shared, fragile and beautiful planet.
Margaret Rossiter, 2015
Artist’s Statement no.1 Courtesy of Margaret Rossiter
NATURE NEEDS US. WE NEED NATURE. WE ARE NATURE.
Now is a time of crisis. We know that the environment and our way of life is threatened by global warming, caused by that very way of life to which we cling. Many of us are doing our best to question the most destructive practices, promote viable alternatives, and protect our personal freedoms in spite of trade agreements that privilege a corporation’s right to profit above any human good. In the midst of this important work, we must remember that environmental destruction impacts all beings on this Earth. Many species risk extinction. My art brings into our awareness creatures who have no voice, who live all around us, and who are impacted by everything that we do.
When we rally to protect the planet, the animals need to be there too.
When we rally to support activists who challenge unsafe practices, the animals need to be there too.
When we rally to protect the water that all of life depends on, the animals need to be there too.
When we reach out to share information that there is hope and that we can change, the animals need to be there too. (Check out the Leap Manifesto, www.leapmanifesto.com )
NATURE NEEDS US. WE NEED NATURE. WE ARE NATURE
Margaret Rossiter, London, Ontario. January 2018
Artist’s Statement no.2 Courtesy of Margaret Rossiter
CV Courtesy of Margaret Rossiter
Biography Profile Photo: Margaret Rossiter
Courtesy of Margaret Rossiter
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