Margaret Saylor
Margaret Saylor
I'm a professional studio artist. I paint the plants and fungi I've met in person, in the gardens, fields, and woods near home, and I teach others to look at them as closely as I do. What matters most to me is making the natural world knowable and inviting curious people into a deeper way of seeing.
My work travels to galleries, garden institutions, and botanical venues where plant life, fungi, and place take center stage. Here you’ll find current and upcoming exhibitions and events where you can see these pieces beyond the studio.
Almost Spring Hydrangea quercifolia
Rabbit's Foot Fern Davallia fejeensis
Chestnut Bolete Gyroporus castaneus
Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus
Purple Brittlegill Russula atropurpurea
Lion's Mane Hericium erinaceus
I work primarily in graphite and watercolor on vellum, and in egg tempera on panel. Both build slowly, one small decision at a time, which suits subjects that take their time to show themselves.
CLASSES
& WORKSHOPS
I teach small-group classes and workshops in botanical drawing and painting that focus on close observation, clear technique, and steady skill-building. Using mediums like graphite, watercolor, and egg tempera, I offer online and in-person sessions with demonstrations and hands-on instruction so students can grow their skills, understand their materials, and build comfortable, sustainable studio habits of their own.
IN THE STUDIO
Right now I'm deep into a new body of egg tempera paintings on panel — working with plant forms I've been foraging and studying for years, composed against an invented grid of value and texture that's become its own quiet signature. Alongside that, a series of graphite on vellum pieces exploring fungi subjects is taking shape. Both bodies of work are headed toward Rooted: Plants in Place, February 16 to March 14, 2027.