Spring Blossom, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 15″.

Field Notes

By Deena Dolan

Inspired by the forests, hills and waters of the Escarpment and Georgian Bay, Margaret Cora Schmor captures the wild beauty, stillness and sense of place that define the landscape she calls home.

“Nobody wants to hike with me,” exclaims Margaret, laughing, “because I stop to take photos all the time.” In actual fact, Margaret has over 90,000 photos on her phone, and those photos inspire every work of art she creates. Connecting with the awe and wonder of nature is key to her success as a visual artist, so a simple walk in the woods has never truly been simple for Margaret. “When I’m in nature, I have peace. I have serenity. The world turns off. You go into a different place. It’s healing, it’s rejuvenating.”

This came up as I chatted with Margaret at her studio space at Collingwood’s Tremont Studios earlier this fall. She shared that her mother had passed just five weeks before. The revelation naturally led us into memories of her childhood growing up in Toronto. Her parents met in Canada after emigrating from Holland. Her father was a building contractor and skilled carpenter. “He was an artist in his own work and my mother was skilled in sewing, knitting and creator of intricate needlework. Everything was made by hand in our home.”

Margaret remembers being good at art throughout high school, but it was always just something she did in between everything else. “Art was my favourite subject, but I never thoughtof myself as becoming an artist. I never thought I had that kind of talent.”

Margaret’s husband is a pilot, and she worked as a flight attendant for 16 years, retiring when her youngest was two. Artistic endeavours back then were primarily within the world of folk art— working with patterns and acrylic paints. “Folk Art was fun, but it wasn’t my original art, so I would always alter the designs. I seem to always want to change things.”

After Glow, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 30″.

View to Metcalfe, acrylic on panel, 12″ x 12″.

Margaret and her husband, Don, relocated from Woodstock to Collingwood in late 2017, when their youngest went to university. This finally gave her the time and space to explore her growing interest in learning to paint original art. She began searching the internet for local art classes in 2018. “The first thing I found was The Bay School of Art operated then by Sue Miller. I joined a small group painting in Nottawa Hall. I didn’t even know the proper names of the paints, but Sue was amazing. She told me what to buy, and encouraged me while watching my work progress.”Margaret fondly remembers how freely she painted in those early days as she fell in love with the bliss this newfound pastime brought to her life.

Margaret recalls the day she decided to declare herself an artist. It was a COVID-driven opportunity she discovered in 2021. “I announced to my family and my 40 Instagram followers that I was committing to a ‘100 Day Project’, with the goal to show up and paint every day. For my project I was exploring our connection to nature and what draws us to the wild. In my head, I still didn’t quite believe it but I made it real.” The 100 Day Project is a free, global art project built around a simple idea: show up to your creative practice every day for 100 days and post your work every day. “When I started it I just wanted to create better artwork. I wanted to improve my painting skills. I was challenging myself.”

Pictures taken on family hikes during COVID became her first source of inspiration as she started painting all their favourite places. Each day, she would pick a photo to paint, draw a thumbnail sketch in her sketchbook and start painting from that. Later, she asked individual friends and neighbours for a photo of their favourite spot around the region. She would paint it, and in return, they had to provide a little write-up about why they loved their chosen place and what made it special. “I was looking for something that would help me create some structure in my life, amidst all the COVID chaos. I wanted to develop a studio practice.”

Hoggs Falls, acrylic on panel, 24″ x 24″.

I am delighted to say she overcame that dilemma and has never been at a loss when it comes to finding collectors. “As an artist, you face rejection at times when applying for juried shows or awards and that is quite discouraging. But, one of the things I never expected was the amazing community support. I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people through my art. Fellow artists in this building are decades ahead of me and so accomplished, yet they’ll just come by and I can ask questions—they are so much fun.” Local artists Sue Miller, Brian Buckrell and John David Anderson, as well as many others through plein air painting with the Blue Mountain School of Landscape Painting, have all influenced her work.

Margaret’s process is time-consuming—in a jubilant way. Her work is detailed and, although her subject matter is local, there’s no repetition. In that sense, I view her work as being purposely individual rather than solely commercial. She employs varying techniques as well. Working mainly in acrylics and mixed media, Margaret sometimes begins with a black canvas, layering bright hues on top to create high-contrast patterns and detail. Other pieces are painted on a warmly tinted background, where patterns and unexpected shapes lure the viewer’s eye throughout and around the familiar, yet mysteriously joyful setting. “I like change, and I like to experiment and try new things.”

Margaret’s work strikes an unusual balance between abstraction and realism. “My work is always about place, and particularly this place. I feel like people who visit here and people who live here, all feel this—we’re kind of obsessed about this land.”

Scott Island, Kilcoursey Bay, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 48″.

Recently, she has been busy with commissions, which she enjoys. Margaret now looks forward to some upcoming personal painting projects. “When we moved to Collingwood, my husband bought a 1946 Fleet Canuck 80 plane and completely restored it. We would go flying around here and I have countless aerial photos. For some time now I have wanted to do a series of works I would call ‘FLY’. I would also like to do another small series of paintings of the Bruce Trail from my hikes. I have hiked the Blue Mountains end to end, and this past  spring completed the Beaver Valley end to end. I did a Peninsula hike from Cape Chin to Dyer’s Bay last spring. That is the next section I would like to complete.”

“The painting life can be hard work, but it is also so rewarding. I love the challenge of figuring out a painting as it develops. I also love to see the joy that art can bring to the viewer or purchaser.”

Whether it’s warm, dappling light cascading through spring and summer shade, moody winter skies over Georgian Bay or autumn’s collages of colour along the Escarpment, Margaret Cora Schmor’s paintings reflect her love of nature, the beauty of place, and the awe and wonder of creation. “I know my mind works differently from many. I actually like balls in the air. I like things sitting up there and percolating for a while. And then one day, it just comes to me. A painting is good, a painting is done, when I feel it is.”

This November and December, Margaret, along with six other Tremont artists, will be having a group show at the Nottawa General Store. The opening reception will be November 5.

Available artwork can be seen and purchased at Tremont Studios, the Blue Mountain Foundation of the Arts Gift Shoppe and the Brightside Deli in Collingwood.

Tremont Studios is open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Other times by appointment or by chance.

Learn more at margaretcora.com or on Instagram @margaretcora.art E