Peggy works as a professional artist focusing on oil or acrylic paintings of the landscapes that surround her. She lives north of Taos in the community of Questa, NM. Peggy Trigg's love for the land springs from being raised in the high desert plateau country of New Mexico, on working cattle ranches. When not busy tending cattle she could be found making art. She sketched rough interpretive drawings with the help of her father’s thick surveyors pencil. Her penchant for direct, emotive reflection of her environment is still present in her current work. She brings the feelings of her observed experience directly to the canvas before you.
Her education started in the Fine Arts department and ended with a degree in Art Education. She taught high school Advanced Placement art for 25 years and enjoyed the creativity and energy of her students. She has worked nonstop as an arts advocacy agent throughout her life by being in leaderships rolls like department leader to promote and grow the arts at the schools where she taught. She organized at least four shows yearly for her students thus giving them real life connections in the local art community.
Peggy is a project leader for the grass roots, non-profit, Questa Creative Council. She is the lead community organizer for the Questa Studio Arts Tour and the Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival. In addition, she organizes and teaches numerous workshops and helps to plan and orchestrate local beautification projects including Questa Banners Series and Questa village Welcome Signs.
Artist Statement
When producing artwork, my primary goal, no matter what medium I use, is to produce strong, well composed pieces. I am a true believer of design; of working with shapes, colors, lines, texture, movement and all the other principles and elements that make up a strong work of art. Design is always at the heart of what I am doing, whether it is outdoor painting of indoor abstraction work.
My primary focus when painting outdoor is to use the brush and paint to capture the energy the land brings to me, not necessarily the actual depiction of the scene. I try to reflect my feelings for the landscape through the colors I use; most often reaching for strong, intense colors that reflect the high contrast of the late afternoon or early morning light. Loose, strong strokes deliver layers of lush colors over lush colors to create depth and texture. The energy of the colors and layering are what inspires me. Strong and pure colors found in oil paints bring me the greatest joy.
When working in abstractions, my work again will focus on design, but here in a more direct manner, almost like a puzzle. I will fit the pieces of design together, what shapes I need and what colors or values will work. Where to add that line for balance? It is all about the composition and the feeling that it creates. Color, movement and rhythm all produce a feeling. I want to capture that feeling in my abstraction work.
