Margaret Evans: Artist of the Month - July

Margaret Ann Evans has been a Cheyenne County Art Guild member since 2010.  This is the second time she has been named Cheyenne County Art Guild “Artist of the Month” (the first being in April 2011).. Aargaret would again like to dedicate her “artist of the Month” showing this year to her dear mother, Betty Evans, who died in January 2011.  Margaret’s mom loved to see her photos and often said to be sure to bring the camera, when she visited the farm.  Margaret became the “family photographer.”

Margaret liked to draw as a child and with that interest, enrolled in her high school’s art classes.  She learned to work with different media such as oils, regular and colored pencil, pastel, watercolor and ink.  Oils, regulare and colored pencil were her favorite media.  With the shortage of one’s time these days, she hasn’t painted or drawn pictures for twenty years.  Her artistic creations are now solely photography.

Approximately in 1972, she got a Kodak 110 pocket camera for her Dad for Father’s Day.  He never used it, so thought someone should and began taking photos.  Her beloved Grandpa liked taking photos, nothing creative, just snap shots.  He showed her how to use the camera.  The one recollection that he taught her was to hold your breath when you’re pushing the shutter button, so the camera wouldn’t shake (and cause a blurred photo.  She discovered right away that photography was fun, especially with the anticipation of seeing what the photos looked like after they came back from the photo lab.  Of course, as all photographers know, there are disappointments with major catastrophes missed in between…  Margaret realized that photography is her artistic passion.  When digital cameras became popular in the 1990s she got on board and has never looked back on the film medium.  Currently Margaret’s favorite digital cameras are the Panasonic FZ28 and FZ60.

For the past several years Margaret has entered photos in the Cheyenne County Fair and won many ribbons.  She also entered photographs in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 CCAG annual spring show in which she has received one first and one second place ribbon plus several Honorable Mentions.  In 2012, her CCAG second place entry “Breaking Through the Darkness” was chosen to be in the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs show in Aurora, NE.  This was an incredible honor!!!  Other art shows that Margaret has displayed photos include the Carnegie Art Center CCAG show in Alliance, NE, and the Phillips County Art Show in Holyoke, CO, in which she received a second place ribbon.

Margaret took a digital photography class at Western Nebraska Community College in 2010, and continues to see great improvement in her photographs.  Margaret has had photographs published in Western Nebraska Community College’s “Emerging Voices” Journal of Literature and Art publication since 2010.

It is a great honor for Margaret to be chosen as the July 2013 CCAG “Artist of the Month”

Margaret’s  photographs are displayed at the Sidney Public Library and the Cheyenne County Community Center (in main hall to the left)