Margaret Ingles

Born in Canberra, I graduated from the ANU and University of Tasmania in Anthropology and Sociology, after that completing two graduate degrees in Education and the Visual Arts. I went on to teach art in international schools in Nepal and Thailand but gave up teaching to pursue a full time art career nearly 20 years ago. These days, I am a dedicated contemporary realism painter focussing primarily on figurative work and the occasional portrait. I am also currently working on new works addressing the climate crisis, a shift in focus I have felt compelled to explore for some time.

For over 25 years I lived and worked in Asia (Nepal, Laos, Thailand, Singapore) so it is not surprising that much of my art during this time celebrated the colour and diversity of people and places in the region.  I also lived in Rome after completing a post-grad course on the Art and Architecture of the Italian Renaissance, fulfilling a lifelong dream to immerse myself in this country of masters and masterpieces and pursue my studies even further.

I love all kinds of art, but have a special affinity for realism in all its forms having always been drawn to, and fascinated by, drawings and paintings that can transform a flat surface into something that looks real and three dimensional. For me there is a kind of magic in that, a dazzling conjuring trick of sorts. I think Edgar Degas said it best: “A picture is something which requires as much knavery, trickery, and deceit as the perpetration of a crime.” I love the technical skill, precision and control that is required, the focus on detail, and the challenge of capturing the light. I also have a passion for photography that germinated many years ago in the darkroom of the Canberra School of Art. I am a juried member of two international organisations -Artists for Conservation and the International Guild of Realism - and a member of the Queensland Wildlife Artists Society.

I have been represented by galleries in Bangkok such as the Piktur gallery, and the Opera gallery in Singapore. I'm currently represented at the Lethbridge Gallery in Brisbane. I have exhibited in Bangkok, Singapore, London and various cities and towns around Australia.