Originally from Denver CO, Peggy left the Midwest for New York City and earned her BFA at The Cooper Union in 1992. A highlight of her experience was painting sets for an off-Broadway theatre company, many of which were reminiscent of the paintings of Edward Hopper. His lonely yet provocative urban landscapes influenced Peg’s later work.
Peggy then traveled to explore landscape painting in oils, visiting Michigan and then abroad to Guatemala and Honduras. During this time she began establishing her impressionist style. Returning to Denver, she exhibited this work at local cooperative, Pirate: Contemporary Oasis.
In 1995, Peggy moved to Arizona and began documenting images of the Southwest. Fascinated with the bypassed and dilapidated architecture of Route 66, set under the vivid glow of the Arizona sky, she began a lasting dialogue with southwestern urban landscapes:
“I didn’t want to be a southwestern painter doing traditional landscapes--I found myself drawn to urban scenes. I realized that my New York experience was more than regional. There was a connection here that reached out to me. It was quite surprising to me how amazing the light in Arizona is. It informs so much of what I do, combining so beautifully with the urban setting. Then finding a slick surface like wood paneling really worked for me. Some days it’s the sunset, and other days the monsoons, but how the light, whether it’s natural or artificial, interplays with an urban setting or wet street is what I go for.”
Peggy earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 2001. While attending the U of A she was hired by a Tucson interior design firm as a custom decorative painter. A year later, she launched Arizona Faux and Mural to support her family and finance her degree. She taught briefly at the University and began selling her work in nearby arts community Tubac.
Peggy then traveled to explore landscape painting in oils, visiting Michigan and then abroad to Guatemala and Honduras. During this time she began establishing her impressionist style. Returning to Denver, she exhibited this work at local cooperative, Pirate: Contemporary Oasis.
In 1995, Peggy moved to Arizona and began documenting images of the Southwest. Fascinated with the bypassed and dilapidated architecture of Route 66, set under the vivid glow of the Arizona sky, she began a lasting dialogue with southwestern urban landscapes:
“I didn’t want to be a southwestern painter doing traditional landscapes--I found myself drawn to urban scenes. I realized that my New York experience was more than regional. There was a connection here that reached out to me. It was quite surprising to me how amazing the light in Arizona is. It informs so much of what I do, combining so beautifully with the urban setting. Then finding a slick surface like wood paneling really worked for me. Some days it’s the sunset, and other days the monsoons, but how the light, whether it’s natural or artificial, interplays with an urban setting or wet street is what I go for.”
Peggy earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 2001. While attending the U of A she was hired by a Tucson interior design firm as a custom decorative painter. A year later, she launched Arizona Faux and Mural to support her family and finance her degree. She taught briefly at the University and began selling her work in nearby arts community Tubac.