(Margaret Shipman
Paintings of Wild Plants, Medicinal Herbs, and Plant Folklore
There are wild things that grow in the most unassuming of places—between the old stones of a crumbling wall, along sun-dappled roadsides, or in the garden beds our grandmothers once tended with aprons dusted in earth. These are not hothouse flowers or plants of pedigree, but brave, persistent little green things with stories stitched into their stems.
Long ago, people knew them by names born of intimacy and observation—coffeeweed, scotchbriar, white man’s footprint, bloodwort. They brewed them into teas when children coughed at night, crushed their leaves for poultices, and stirred them into broths with hope and ceremony. These humble plants were guides, messengers, and healers—speaking softly of soil health and shifting seasons.
But in our age of hurry and paved-over wonder, we’ve forgotten to look. The wildflowers bloom, all the same, waiting for someone to notice.
And so I notice. I paint them.
With each careful stroke, I come to know these plants not just by name, but by story. My brush becomes a bridge between the forgotten wisdom of the past and the quiet beauty of the present. It is my way of listening—and of answering. It is, I suppose, a kind of remembering.
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My work is oil on canvas with some collage of painted resin paper added. I’ll often include my own notes about the history and folklore of the plants, or in a landscape I’ll include historical notes about the land.
BIO
Margaret Shipman is a painter inspired by the folklore, cultural history, and natural beauty of wild plants, medicinal herbs, and often-overlooked landscapes. She creates vibrant, intricate paintings that honor ancestral knowledge and the enduring relationships between humans and the natural world.
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​With degrees in both art and anthropology, Margaret started out as a student working for organizations seeking to help improve the lives of indigenous artists in US tribal communities and abroad. Then for the last two decades, she worked within arts organizations in Southern Vermont. Now as a full-time artist, Margaret can usually be found painting in her home studio which is surrounded by the wildflowers and woods that influence her work.
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Margaret’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the Northeast and are available through galleries, art fairs, and directly from her studio. She is the co-creator of The Wayfarer Tarot and is currently collaborating with Tarot reader and teacher Stacy Salpietro-Babb on a second deck.
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Press:
CanvasRebel, October 2024, Stories and Insights: Meet Margaret Shipman
Brattleboro Reformer, September 2020, Adding Something Different, Kris Radder
Vermont Winter Vacation Guide 2017, Love Where You Live
The Commons, February 24, 2016, Drawing a Crowd, Richard Henke
The Commons, February 10, 2016, Shipman Paintings on Display at Amy's
Southern Vermont Art & Living, Winter 2013 - 2014, The Art/Life Balance, Arlene Distler
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Finalist Collectors' Recognition 2024, Paradise City Arts Festival
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photo by Kris Radder of the Brattleboro Reformer.
Underpinning my art is the need to establish a connection with the land.
I'm seeking to understand the workings of the ecology of the landscape as well as human history with nature.
My paintings are of wild plants, herbs, and pollinators. They are also about folklore and the interrelationship between nature and humans. Small bits of wisdom, poetry, and practical advice are written among the busy-ness of my designs.
Respect for the interconnectedness of the natural world as well as our own relationship with it is important to my own journey, and grows for me with every painting.