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Margaret Shipman
A few generations ago, our ancestors in every culture had a deep connection to the land and an intimate understanding of the plants that grew there. My work seeks to rediscover and celebrate that lost bond in today's world.
Through my paintings, I explore familiar landscapes with a focus on their hidden stories—from the human events that shaped them to the lore and medicines of wildflowers and herbs. This journey leads me into learning about herbalism, history, and folk magic. It results in art that is at once beautiful and a connection to our past.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Specimens Series
Jewelweed and Poison Ivy
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
36" x 36"
oil on canvas with oil on paper collage
Specimens Series:
These paintings feature cultivated and wild plants that spark my curiosity.
One painting includes all the wildflowers that grow along the border of my driveway and the woods, with text detailing each plant’s folklore. Other works highlight common roadside weeds or herbs frequently used for wellness. In many, I incorporate text, weaving folklore snippets around and between the plants.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Land Secret Series
Old Guilford Road
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Land Secret Series:
All land holds stories, spanning from distant eras into the present.
This series explores places like the woods behind my home, where an ancient road winds through maple trees once tapped by the local Abenaki people. Early spring maple syrup was essential for sustaining those whose diets relied on the land—a story I include within the artwork.
Other paintings reflect sites that are now wildflower fields but were once a rural airport, a colonial battleground, or the encampment of an 18th-century army.
These works honor the layered histories and celebrate their present-day role as sanctuaries for wildflowers cherished by pollinators and those knowledgeable in herbal lore.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
Mandala Series
Yule
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
20" x 20"
oil on canvas
Mandala Series
For a year, I created one mandala-inspired painting each month using bits of plants, mushrooms, and other natural elements from my land.
I gathered materials on walks, arranged and photographed them, and then returned to my studio to paint them, leaving the mandalas outside as offerings to the land.
Please follow the link to view more from this series.
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