At age five, Margaret Donharl fell in love with a set of colored pencils that magically became watercolors when painted over with a brush-full of water.  Eventually, she explored and expanded that creative path at East Carolina University, obtaining a BFA in commercial art with a minor in painting and printmaking.

Soon after graduation, Margaret returned to Colorado and worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator in Boulder, creating logos and brochures, ads, and packaging. Her most satisfying projects involved designing and illustrating a variety of book covers (often nature-themed) and creating a line of environmental T shirts for clients as diverse as Greenpeace, REI, and the Smithsonian.

After leaving graphic design, Margaret returned to the reason she pursued art in the first place — a love of painting.  “I continue to delight in the magic that happens when layering luminous color with texture, pattern, and organic forms.”