Margaret Donharl

Inspired by nature and design, Margaret Donharl creates colorful acrylic paintings – layering symbolism with realism.

Margaret’s process often involves applying paint and glazes onto recycled hardwood doors using her own hand cut stencils. Building layers of luminous color, pattern, and organic forms creates a complex visual weave and provides textural backgrounds for her paintings. Early in the process, Margaret works more intuitively with paint, adding and subtracting many elements to experiment with imagery. She’s interested in recording the accidents and erasures in the process and remains open to the unexpected, the surprising. 

While not attempting a literal portrayal, Margaret always includes realistic images of animals, birds, flowers and landscape in the final layers.  She’s exploring nature as elegant symbols of beauty, of fragility and impermanence. The animals and plants are idealized, not individuals. Their grace and vulnerability connect us with our deeper selves and beyond.

Margaret’s intention is to cause a spark of imagination and emotional response in the viewer – allowing new interpretations and personal connections to the natural world. As an artist, she strives to bridge her painting with her concern for the environment. Her hope is that by connecting the viewer with the subject, we will be reminded of our interdependence as stewards of this planet.

40 items

Magnanimous Moose

SOLD

17 x 17" / acrylic / I’m working with birds and animals, plants and landscapes as elegant symbols of beauty, of fragility and impermanence. My hope is that by connecting the viewer with the subject...

Boulder Bears

SOLD

8 x 8" / Acrylicacrylic painting on 8x8 cradled panel

Fox and Friends

$995

23.5 x 15" / Acrylic /Acrylic painting on an up-cycled hardwood door

Spring Buffet

SOLD

8 x 8" / acrylic

Owl Alchemy

SOLD

8 x 8" / acrylicacrylic on paper mounted on cradled panel

Nature's Networks

SOLD

22 x 0.5" / Acrylic on hardwood panel including self frame. Painted on up cycled hardwood cupboard door

Crow Connection

$995

12 x 28" / Acrylic Painting / I’m working with birds and animals, plants and landscapes as elegant symbols of beauty, of fragility and impermanence. My hope is that by connecting the viewer with th...

Mustang Meetup

$995

18 x 23.5" / Acrylic Painting

Elk Entourage

$995

22 x 16" / Acrylic Painting

Wild Windows

$995

13 x 28.5" / Acrylic Painting

Winged Withdrawal

$1,595

30 x 23" / Acrylic Painting

Bear Boat

SOLD

12 x 12" / Acrylic Painting