Bit by the Gel Plate Bug!

Margaret Grill February 2, 2024

I recently picked up a small 5” x 5” gel-plate on a whim at the local art store. Within 24 hours I had three gel-plates, a collection of material to make various prints, and a lot less blank paper! It could be the flexibility of the gel-plate, or the immediacy of a mono print, but I am hooked! So hooked that even the simple act of eating a piece of fruit, will send me down the rabbit-hole of how to print with an orange peel.

The results were different from how I imagined, but I think they turned really nice:

**Orange Peel Print I** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

**Orange Peel Print II** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

**Orange Peel Print III** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

Gel-plate printing has also given me a medium for a projects that I’ve wanted to complete for some time.

Camping and Crochet: First thing I pack when we head out with the camper (even before tofu jerky, and the cribbage board) is a crochet project! There is nothing more satisfying that counting the half-double post-stitches, while sitting on a camp chair and watching the leaves fall off the trees around me. It is the experience of feeling time pass: seeing the shadows move through day, the seasons change before our eyes, and all while my hands churn a ball of yarn into something (maybe) wearable. I entitled the series of 7 prints “Busy Hands, Changing Leaves”:

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves I** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves** II Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves III** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper, available via SHOP

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves** VI Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves** V Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper

**Busy Hands, Changing Leaves** **VII** Acrylic ink mono-print with colored pencil on paper

The Process: I made this series by painting with acrylic paint directly on to the plate (instead of using a brayer) and used a plastic cut-out to block out the shape of crocheting hands. Then I made a ghost image (the ink left over from a print) of both cedar leaves and a swatch of crocheted yarn. The layers felt a little disjointed to me, so I decided to break purist printmaking rules by adding colored pencil and enter the “mixed media” realm!

Lastly, the great thing about gel plate printing is that the prints where I’m experimenting or getting the ink off the plate for a ghost image, turn out just as interesting as my actual project!

Note: I’ve only put a select few of these prints in my shop. I’m thinking about making a grab bag with a handful of prints. Dumb idea? Let me know!

Paper Your Walls

Margaret Grill October 17, 2023

The online sale for Posters for Parks is now OPEN!

The great thing about Posters for Parks is all 44 poster designs are 18” X 24” and are only $50! My house has great art on the walls because of this sale. Minneapolis parks gets some money and the very talented local artists and designers get some money (50% each to be exact).

I made a 6-color screen print that I designed and screened myself; right on my dining room table! Please consider purchasing a poster or voting for your favorite!

Here’s a link to that before mentioned 6-color screen print:
https://postersforparks.org/product/asclepias-tuberosa/

Exhibition Closing!

Margaret Grill September 26, 2023

One week left! Concerning Plants is closing this Saturday, September 30th. Artreach St. Croix is an awesome gallery in the heart of downtown Stillwater. It was a joy to share my Gone to Seed series in the space with Kristin Maija Peterson and David Spohn!

***Garlic Mustard |*** *Alliaria petiolata,* Oil on board, 10 x 26

ArtReach St. Croix: 224 N. 4th Street, Stillwater, Minnesota 55082
Open Wednesday – Fridays 10 – 4pm, Saturdays 12 – 4pm

Posters!!! Posters for sale!

Margaret Grill September 26, 2023

It’s poster time!!!

The Minneapolis Parks Foundation annual Posters for Parks show is Saturday, October 14th!
Get you tickets today: Eventbrite

The pop-up gallery will be at the Minnehaha Regional Park pavilion next to Sea Salt (4801 S Minnehaha Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417) on Saturday, October 14, from 3– 7pm.
Registration is open and tickets are free on Eventbrite. Any remaining posters will be available for sale the following week at PostersforParks.org.

I flexed my poster making skills this year with a six-color screen print this year. I chose to showcase Asclepias tuberosa, otherwise known as Butterfly Weed.

-Hope to see you there

My Version of Botanical Illustration

Margaret Grill June 4, 2023

A few of my favorite works completed while taking “Botanical Illustration” through Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Continuing Education taught by self-described rule-breaker Shannon Brunette at the University of Minnesota’s Conservatory.

**Solanam quitoense:** A botanical illustration of the Solanam quitoense plant, commonly known as a Naranjilla. Painted with graphite watercolor and opaque Groucho, detail drawn in sanguine chalk on cold press watercolor paper.
11” by 14”

**Butterfly Ranunculus Trio:** Black pencil, water-soluble crayon on lightly textured and toned paper.
16 1/2” by 10 1/2” painted area on 18” x 12” paper.

**Pitcher Plant:** A psychedelic mixed media drawing of a carnivorous plant. Drawn with graphite and water-based crayon on gold-toned paper.
Drawing area measures 14 3/4” by 9 3/4” on 18” x 12” paper.

Posters for Parks 2022!!

Margaret Grill August 1, 2022

Happy to announce that I have been selected to create a poster for the 2022 Posters for Parks Fundraiser though MPLS parks! The 7th annual show is scheduled as a one-day event on Saturday, October 22, at Royal Foundry Craft Spirits. Follow this link for more info: Posters for Parks. The remaining posters will be available for purchase the following week.

My poster from last year can be purchased here: Green Space A sneak peek of this year’s poster should be coming soon!

antARcTica

Margaret Grill June 30, 2022

I’m excited to be part of Annie Young’s Exhibit antARcTica exhibiting at the Ames Center in Burnsville running from August 29 to November 5, 2022, with an opening October 1st at 5:30 pm!

The above images are part of the work Annie and I created in collaboration to document her time in Antartica, or as she calls it “ journey to rock bottom.” Annie has collaborated with a number of amazing artists to create this exhibition. Please take the time to check out here description of the project here: annieyoungarts.com/antarctica

In addition to the collaborations, each artist is also exhibiting their own works. I will be showing three new pieces in my Contact Sheet series where I’ve created large two-dimensional sculptures of ephemeral photos such as contact sheets, photo booth photos, and school pictures. The portraits in this series are all very personal to me and I consider it an immense privilege to showcase them with this exhibition!

**Kristy: Locket Contact Sheet,** Water-soluble oil and chalk on canvas, 30” x 40”

**Mickey: School Picture,** Water-soluble oil and chalk on canvas, 33” x 50”

**Jeanne: Photo Booth,** Water-soluble oil on canvas, 72” x 14” (hinged diptych comprised of two canvases: 54” x 14” & 18” x 14”)

Summer Summer Summer time!

Margaret Grill June 19, 2022

Three paintings that celebrate the hot green season:

Half Birthday Sale!

Margaret Grill November 19, 2021

UPDATE: The sale is over.
If you missed it send me an email at mgrillpainting@gmail.com for a belated coupon code!!!

EVERYTHING in my online shop is 39% OFF!!!

It’s my Thirty-Ninth and a Half birthday!

Celebrate this most important half-birthday with me by helping me clear out the studio to make way for new work!
Use code: 1/2BDAY for 39% off on paintings, prints, works on paper, something you’ve had your eye on, or something you just found!!

Items will be shipped within 24 hours of purchase via USPS or can be picked up locally. I am currently only shipping in the US (mi dispiace)!
Email me with any questions: mgrillpainting@gmail.com

SHOP

Use Code: 1/2BDAY for 39% off
Happy Shopping! Happy Half Birthday!

Posters for Parks is Online This Year!

Margaret Grill October 21, 2021

Posters will be available for purchase on Saturday, October 23rd from 8am-8pm, but you can register now!
Follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/posters-for-parks-2021-pre-sale-event-tickets-153541303171

Also….you can vote for your favorite poster (one vote per email) whether you buy a poster or not. AND everyone who votes is entered into a random drawing to win a free poster from this year’s show! If you are thinking about who to vote for, keep your eye out for a very Margi-esce poster entitled Green Space!!

In-progress image of my poster. It shows the detailed foliage after the charcoal transfer. A single stem of nettles has been illustrated with colored pencil.

Same stem farther along in the process after more layers of colored pencil and watercolor.

Here’s a sneak peek at the same nettle in the finished poster!

Fall is here, Hear the yell, Back to school, Ring the bell

Margaret Grill September 26, 2021

Fall is the true start of the year for me. It’s the time to reinvent yourself, take on new projects, cut your hair and get some new shoes. This fall I will be showing my sculpture work for the first time and I created a poster in collaboration with Minneapolis Parks! I also scored a lovely pair of boots at a friend’s garage sale and now it is time for a haircut!

Karen Kraco, Back of the Beach, Archival Inkjet Print, 12” x 18", 2017 — Karen Krac o, Back of the Beach, Archival Inkjet Print, 12” x 18", 2017

(Un)Natural Boundaries and Borders reflects the impact of natural or unnatural boundaries and borders and how they define our relationship to the natural world and each other. Boundaries separate land, water, and sky. They can create a sense of place, security, and identity. Whether boundaries are physical, political, economic, social, or cultural, they shape who we are and how we experience the world.

I will have two sculptures in (Un)Natural Boundaries and Borders. Both are from new series where I create crocheted soft sculptures from plastic bags that have ended up along pathways and open spaces I frequent. With this work I am interested in the relationship between the ephemeral items that are cherished as keepsakes and the refuse we consider litter, and how the two can be interwoven. The plastic yarn can take on a gummy texture, but depending on the level of its deterioration the strands can have a satiny quality. By combining the different colors and textures I have collected I am able to reimagine the delicate, yet everyday items that speak to the fragile and complex ecosystem we have created.

Druggist Medicine Bottle Margi Grill, Crocheted yarn from harvested plastic bags, 2021 — **Druggist Medicine Bottle** Margi Grill, Crocheted yarn from harvested plastic bags, 2021

For Guests Margi Grill, Tea cup and saucer from harvested plastic bags and yellow gold leaf, 2021 — **For Guests** Margi Grill, Tea cup and saucer from harvested plastic bags and yellow gold leaf, 2021

Join us on Thursday, October 14 from 6 - 8 pm for the opening reception of our juried show (Un)Natural Boundaries and Borders. The work was juried by Katayoun Amjadi. The exhibition is on view October 14 - November 30, 2021 and open daily from 9 am - 5 pm. Masks are highly encouraged when indoors.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/177567071186687/?active_tab=discussion

I am also very excited to share that I am participating in this year’s Posters for Parks annual show. It features limited-edition posters created by local artists who are inspired by Minneapolis Parks. A joint effort of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and LoveMplsParks to benefit our award-winning park system. 50% of net revenue will be donated to the People for Parks Fund; 50% will go to the artists.

The venue will most likely be virtual this year on Saturday, October 23rd, so you can purchase an 18” by 24” poster from local artists from anywhere in the world, even from a Minneapolis Park!

Here’s a sneak peek of the poster I have created:

Green Space Margi Grill, Ink jet Print poster, 2021 — **Green Space** Margi Grill, Ink jet Print poster, 2021

Here’s what I have to say about it:
My vision for this poster was to capture the texture of the open spaces in Minneapolis and the complex patterns of vegetation that interlock to make up the verdant landscape. Using a limited color palette of just green and greenish tones, I choose three plants that I can easily identify. As we look out the boxelder trees are painted with watercolor and just under our feet the nettles are illustrated with colored pencil. The Milkweed in the center of the poster appears through the negative space of the exposed paper. Each element fits together like a puzzle and calls to mind the fabric of these city refuges.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/504611644230380/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark_calendar%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D

Fall is here, hear the yell
Back to school, ring the bell
Brand new shoes, walking blues
Cimb the fence, books and pens
I can tell are going to be friends
I can tell are going to be friends

-The White Stripes

NOW on VIEW

Margaret Grill February 8, 2021

Art of Human Nature is now on view at the Larson Gallery in the University of Minnesota Student Center. The Exhibit includes 9 paintings from my View Finder series and a piece I made specifically for the show that began as a found yard sign advertising “We Buy Junk Cars.”

The Larson Gallery is open to the public, but limits the gallery capacity to 11. You can also view photographs of the exhibit here.

The Art of Human Nature is on view now until March 4th!

An Untitled Series of Untitled Paintings

Margaret Grill January 27, 2021

My latest series is about processing the themes I’ve worked with as a landscape painter over time. My best ideas about the experience of being in nature have usually been conceived in a temperature controlled environment under florescence lights. I tried to capture how paintings travel along with me as I move through spaces.

Each work is a combination of art materials on watercolor paper. The works measure 11” by 17”, vertically. I tend to gravitate to tall landscapes. The layout lets me stack styles and imagery on top of each other easier than if I could with a typical horizontal composition.

Textile patterns have become a common theme in my work lately and can be seen distinctly in this series. The painting on the right started by collaging images of myself as a kid wearing bright pink. I floated the figures throughout the landscape and matched the color to the shade used to stake out open-spaces for construction. Growing up in the suburbs I have distinct memories of seeing the woods in the neighborhood transformed into homes. I worked with this concept a lot during art-school. Placing myself as the markers for clearcut is an attempt to place my own footprint on the land in this memory.

I love each of these pieces and I love how they work together as a series. I have really struggled to come up with a title for them though. Any suggestions?

New Art and New Ways to Exhibit Art!

Margaret Grill January 10, 2021

As part of The Art of Human Nature exhibit, I am debuting my newest project at the Larson Gallery at the St Paul Student Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

Inspired by the View Finder series, this new work started with a found yard sign advertising “We Buy Junk Cars.” I then collaged, projected, painted the junk cars that dot our everyday landscapes. I then collaged, projected, and painted it again.

The U of MN campus is a special place for me. It was one of the first places I found a sense of community as an artist. The St Paul Student Center is also one of first places my parent met. I owe a lot to this place! However, the honor truly lies with exhibiting with this exceptional group of artists: Katiana Shovelain, Karlie Thomas, Linda Snouffer, Cameron Williams, Grant McFarland, and Anna Van Voorhis.

As these are unique times, we are excited to offer a virtual opening on January the 22nd, but the show will in-person and open to the public January 22nd through March 4th. Visit the U of MN page for more information: https://sua.umn.edu/events/art-human-nature

How it Started, How it's Going

Margaret Grill December 1, 2020

I’m extremely honored to be included in Rosalux Gallery’s Open Door XVI

This year the exhibit is fully online and available for purchase as a printed book. Both can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home, because that’s where we are this year!!!

My work on paper, entitled Demonstration (pencil, acrylic, and collage on handmade paper) can be found amongst the other amazing work featured in Open Door XVI. Be sure to catch the exhibition essay by curator Russ White, aptly entitled “How it started, How it’s Going”.

Should I order the hardcover or the softcover?

Art sale!

Margaret Grill November 27, 2020

I am participating in the Inver Hills Community College Holiday Sale (it is virtual this year)!

I have two original illustrations available. 75% of their sale will go to the Art Department Student Scholarship!

Please check it out: https://voices.inverhills.edu/artgallery/current-exhibition/

Fieldwork Mixed media on paper, 8" x10", in a mat and framed in a 11" X 14" bamboo frame. $150, 75% donation to IHCC — **Fieldwork** Mixed media on paper, 8" x10", in a mat and framed in a 11" X 14" bamboo frame.
$150, 75% donation to IHCC

Legend Mixed media on paper, 8" x10", in a mat and framed in a 11" X 14" bamboo frame. $150, 75% donation to IHCC — **Legend** Mixed media on paper, 8" x10", in a mat and framed in a 11" X 14" bamboo frame.
$150, 75% donation to IHCC

/SHOP

Margaret Grill November 20, 2020

You can now purchase artwork directly from my website! I’ve wanted to add an online shop for a long time and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

Screen Shot 2020-11-20 at 10.59.17 AM.png

Details: The shop currently features paintings on paper and my series on linen. All items are shipped flat in a cellophane envelope. I make an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint by reusing packaging material whenever possible. Art will be shipped immediately after the order has been placed and sent via USPS.

Please check it out and let me know what you think! mgrillpainting.com/shop
-Margi

Paintings Sold! Prints Still Available!

Margaret Grill November 13, 2020

I am happy to announce that I’ve been able to mark a few paintings as SOLD, including these two favorites. I’m so excited they get to leave the studio and start a life of their own. Amazingly, both paintings are still available as prints through Tiny Showcase

Prints of Cold Start can be purchased here. — Prints of **Cold Start** can be purchased here.

Prints of Expedition can be purchased here. — Prints of **Expedition** can be purchased here.

In Other Exciting News: I am in the process of adding an online shop to my website. I hope to have all the work available to sell listed by Thanksgiving!

Stay tuned!!

ACLU Fundraiser! SOLD OUT

Margaret Grill September 11, 2020

I’m selling each painting in my VOTE series for $35, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the ACLU!

Through litigation and advocacy, the American Civil Liberties Union is fighting back against attempts to curtail an essential right in our democracy, the right to vote.

I WILL VOTE 8” diameter — **I WILL VOTE** 8” diameter

I WILL VOTE 12” diameter — **I WILL VOTE** 12” diameter

VOTE. 8” diameter (SOLD) — **VOTE.** 8” diameter (SOLD)

Each painting is mixed media on canvas stretched over an ultra light bamboo hoop. They have been sprayed with a protective coating, but best used indoors. Each one has a hidden a loop for easy display. An ideal conversation starter, use them as an opportunity to talk with the people in your life about making a plan to vote for 2020!

Email or Direct message me if you would like to purchase: mgrillpainting@gmail.com. Shipping or contactless delivery available!

Current Options:
Sm I WILL VOTE 8” diameter
Lg I WILL VOTE 12” diameter
Sm VOTE 8” diameter (SOLD)
***More in the works***

UPDATE: All three paintings have sold out!! Thank you!

Making Lemonade

Margaret Grill April 7, 2020

This last year was spent working on twelve paintings that illustrate the invasive species in Minnesota for a show entitled “Gone to Seed” exhibited at Silverwood Park. I was fortunate that the opening was right before the Minnesota Stay in Home Order. All park buildings are now closed, which includes the park gallery, but the trails, sculpture garden and poetry stops are still open. You can even see several of my paintings from the windows of the gallery, thanks to the creative working of Eileen Cohen the Exhibition Coordinator.

The Gallery Conversation with the Invasive Species Cooridator, Missy Anderson has transitioned to become a virtual conversation about Garlic Mustard and will be paired with a video about my process making the painting depicting the species. I hope you’ll check it out once it’s posted!

Finally, I used this opportunity to completely redesign my website to highlight specific installations, including the work from Gone to Seed. It is a project I have wanted to tackle for a while, but I needed time to fully devote myself to it. I currently have time and I am really happy with the redesign!

Take a tour through my exhibit: Gone to Seed