Margaret Goldsmith – Paintings and Studio Glass

19-20 May, 2012

Margaret Goldsmith

Studio:
83 Bateke Rd, Tamborine Mountain
Ph: (07) 5545 2727

What you’ll see:
Margaret Goldsmith has been working as a professional artist for the past 35 years. She is prolific and her folio features a diverse crop of styles and mediums. Her signature works are the brightly coloured child-like expressionist portraits which jump from the walls. That said her studio, which overlooks a sprawling exotic fruit orchard and enjoys views of the Gold Coast skyline, is packed with everything from landscapes, abstracts, vibrant images of turtles and fish to glass plates, bowls and platters. The only constant in Margaret’s bold work is her unashamed use of colour. It’s bright and it’s beautiful. Margaret paints from the heart in an expressionistic style full of movement and vibrant moments.

Margaret Goldsmith describes her artwork as ‘an uncontrollably happy dance on canvas’. If that’s the case then the music playing in the background must be loud and joyous, judging by the vibrantly-coloured paintings and glassworks which fill her Tamborine Mountain studio.
She has been creating art full of life and movement for the past 35 years. Born in Scotland, Margaret’s mother moved her children to Australia when she was widowed. Margaret says she has always loved to create but initially settled for a career as a flight attendant with TAA. She met her husband Neil while flying but when she married was forced by the rules of the day to quit her job.
We may scoff now, but the approach of the time delivered her the freedom to pursue a new career in the arts.
Margaret gained qualifications in ceramics and sculpture and later in Visual Arts majoring in painting.
Her wide-ranging training is visible in all she does – Margaret is a truly diverse artist who can move easily between mediums.
She says while she’s always had a child-like expressionistic style to her work , it wasn’t until she was encouraged by her tutors to embrace it that she really soared.
“That’s my handwriting,” she says.

“It was there but I was embarrassed by it, I didn’t like it, I didn’t feel comfortable with it. A couple of really good tutors reminded me that Picasso painted for 27 years before he learned to paint like a child.
“It doesn’t matter how you see it or do it, it’s correct as long as it’s with honesty. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable.
“There’s room in the world for all types of art.”

Margaret displays her work in a purpose-built gallery on the sprawling Tamborine Mountain property she shares with her husband. The walls are packed with her paintings – portraits, abstracts, landscapes and her favourite fish and turtles and the rainbow coloured glasswork which she and husband Neil create.
“I work in all mediums,” she says.
“I’m a small business so I have to cater to everyone’s tastes, I have a variety of stuff. People know what they like.
“The glass all comes from America, a lot of people think our glass is painted but I explain it’s made from hundreds of strips of glass all put together. There’s a lot of work in them.”
Margaret has won many awards and her work has been bought by many influential people. She is also commissioned by business and government to create artwork for a specific purpose.
“Through my paintings and glasswork I attempt to capture a language that does not know stillness, only motion. My work is full of happy predictions, vital paint colours, fresh and vibrant moments of intense pleasure and the uncontrollable happiness of a dance on canvas or paper.”