Margaret Pulis Herrick

 My art life began in New York City after a baccalaureate degree in Virginia and graduate study at Columbia University, where I first worked as a medical illustrator. During this time, I also studied and traveled to Italy where I learned the practice of egg tempera painting from a restoration professor noted for his work on the Cimabue Crucifix of 1265 after its damage during the Florence flood of 1966. A move to Florida came in the mid 1980’s when my husband and I embarked in a life of retirement, where we restored a beautiful old island home in north of the state and I began the practice of making illustrated journals, often when traveling. I began teaching the creation of such journals that I call “journey daybooks” that are produced in a strong contemplative atmosphere. In 2001 a community was born. I created a 501c(3) non-profit educational corporation to ease the expense of traveling and teaching. We expanded our outreach to groups of teens and elders in need of personal exploration, including seven groups of women inmates at a maximum Florida state prison.

I sold my Florida home just a few months before the start of the Covid pandemic. I had no permanent living space for nearly a year until I moved to Albuquerque N.M.in early 2021. During this time, I embraced Sandra Burshell’s thoughtful invitation to join the New Orleans Drawing Group on Zoom. This weekly commitment became a consistent art practice as I moved in and out of three temporary lodgings in Gainesville, Florida and, finally, to my new home and studio in Albuquerque. After more than three years, these Thursday Zoom drawing sessions continue to offer me a strong sense of community, belonging, and inspiration. My week’s schedule is built around these sessions. Not only has my work improved, but I have developed exciting new artist friendships in the process.

Most of my time in Albuquerque has been spent painting. I belong to several painting groups that gather to work in the environment. As I have for much of my life, I continue to paint the landscape. I make journey daybook pages by myself every few days as I continue to relish the delights of my new high desert home.

NM

United States