Margaret Goeden is an American-born artist, recently returned to the USA after 10 years of living in Hong Kong. She works out of her home studio in San Francisco, painting primarily in oils, but also in soft pastel, ink, and watercolor, for their immediacy, richness and ease of use out of the studio.
Her art education is largely self-directed; inspired by a creative, single, working mother who taught “Arts and Crafts” in adult night school. With this model, Margaret supported herself as an accountant, making art whenever possible. Santa Barbara City College night school provided foundation with Drawing, Art History and Design. Then, for over a decade in Big Sur, California, she studied oil
painting with Ronna Rio Emmons and was part of the Hoop of Eight, a women’s painting group. Ronna’s teaching as a colorist remains influential.
Dedicated painting time was limited when Margaret moved to San Francisco in 2006, with a young child and a position as Financial Controller with the non-profit WildAid. In 2014 work moved her family to Hong Kong, where she focused on art making full-time. Given the opportunity to study in Asia, Margaret enrolled with private teachers, and at the Hong Kong Art School, studying Chinese
ink, pastel and water colour. She was further inspired by her studio-mate and friend, painter ZongSon Zang.
While living in Big Sur, Margaret trained in the plein-air landscape tradition of California. She loves hiking and painting outdoors; finding inspiration in the natural world. Exploring new materials is a constant; art-making being a most gratifying, never-ending learning process. She roots her creative work in a contemplative zen practice, whether making pieces that are representational or abstract, with subjects ranging from pure abstraction to portraits, still lives, or landscapes of the places she loves, like Hong Kong, Big Sur, the Rocky Mountains, and the SF bay area.
At present, her work is showing in Hong Kong, Big Sur, Pacific Grove and the SFWA Gallery in San Francisco. She has a painting in the permanent collection of the UOW College in Hong Kong, and in private collections internationally.
