Margaret Riordan

Artistic background

Born in Bristol, England, I have been painting and drawing all my life as my main hobby and have entered many competitions with success at local and national level. Over 500 of my works have been sold throughout the UK, Europe, North America - world-wide, through exhibitions, and galleries, and now online through Artgallery.co.uk. II enjoy painting in all mediums and particularly love the human form. I love to paint people, and will often get pleasure from just doodling a sketch of someone at a railway station for example, I like doing portraits, and I love capturing the movement of people dancing, playing sport, etc. I get my inspiration from Jack Vettriano and I adore David Downton, the fashion illustrator. My other great passion is painting horses. I like buildings, scenes, trains, boats, planes. If it's there, I want to paint it! I was a secretary by profession but have always loved to paint as a pastime. I have never been short of people commissioning me to do more. Arthritis unfortunately prevents me from painting as a profession, so my paintings will not flood the market and any painting you purchase from me hopefully will be valuable by its rarity. Thank you for looking.

Quote

I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember—ever since I was first handed a paint-by-numbers kit at the age of five. My love of art was sparked early, inspired by the drawings my father and I would create together when I was a child. He would be so proud to see how far I’ve come, developing my artistic style and constantly learning new techniques.
I am entirely self-taught. I began with watercolours, moved on to fast-drying oils (Alkyds), and more recently, I’ve explored acrylics, pen and ink, and charcoal sketching. One of the most rewarding experiences was attending a life drawing class, where I discovered a deep appreciation for capturing the human form.
Horses are a particular favourite subject of mine, though I’ll paint just about anything—landscapes, trains, boats, planes. Often, I see something and the finished painting forms instantly in my mind. Completing a piece gives me the same kind of satisfaction as finishing a complex jigsaw puzzle—but with even more joy, especially when someone connects with the work enough to want to buy it. That moment never fails to fill me with delight.

Interests

I have a passion for languages. I began my career as a bilingual secretary and had the unique opportunity to work on the Concorde aircraft project, using my French to liaise with colleagues in France. Later, I spent some time living in Los Angeles, where I enjoyed engaging with the local Spanish-speaking community.
For the past 25 years, I have spent my winters in Spain, embracing the culture and fully immersing myself in local life by interacting with my neighbours and living as part of the community.
In addition to languages, I have a love for singing. I was a member of a local Choral Society for several years, performing both as part of the choir and as a soloist. More recently, I have been singing with a Spanish choir, and for the past 20 years, I have also helped promote our concerts in multiple languages. My knowledge of languages has come in handy now that several of my 11 grandchildren are learning French and Spanish.

Accepts Commissions?

No