Margaret Schrecongost is a painter who works in both large-scale figurative narrative, and multimedia collage. She earned her BFA in Painting and Drawing at Alfred University in 2016. Since graduating she has attended residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Cite’ Internationale des Arts in Paris, and most recently at Herekeke in New Mexico in 2019. Margaret lives and works in Buffalo NY.
Artist Statement:
I make narrative work of contemporary tableaus that are primarily figurative. By painting the female figure with reference to my own body, I re-contextualize the genre of the Female Nude. I am interested in transforming the female form from a passive object to a self-portrait, as I am the author, subject, and viewer. These figurative paintings narrate situations that feel familiar and inviting, yet are ultimately unnerving, and mythical.
In my collage work, I develop these ideas free from the weight of the figure. The collages bring objects into conflict, confronting fear and anxiety through humor and play. They draw power from the allure of memory to the alienated and anxious mind.