Margaret Saylor
Margaret Saylor
I'm a professional studio artist who seeks the balance between scientific precision and artistic sensitivity, painting plants, fungi, and the wider natural world — and teaching others to look at them as carefully as I do. Sharing that is what matters most to me: making the natural world not just beautiful, but knowable — inviting curious observers 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.
DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE INVITATIONAL
DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE
JULY 6 – OCTOBER 3, 2026
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 egg tempera on panel. The mediums are deliberate and slow — a good match for subjects that reveal themselves gradually.
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.
The Artful Wild is a Patreon subscription created by professional studio artists Margaret Saylor and Kelly Leahy Radding to share our love of plants, birds, fungi, and place through ongoing art content. Margaret focuses on plants and fungi, while Kelly brings in birds and animals, and together we explore classic drawing techniques, studio habits, and more through behind-the-scenes process, demonstrations, and resources for steady, observation-based art.
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. 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, opening at Wayne Art Center in February 2027.