This is tough to answer for a lot of reasons: I work on a few paintings at once. I go back and forth between them for days or weeks. I'm really slow in comparison to other artists. Though I have a degree in art, I still consider myself to be mostly self taught. The professors at my college did not teach technique in any of my studio painting classes, I suspect that they didn't want to hamper our creativity by giving us rules to follow. As a result, I have had to come up with my own way of painting. I think its closer to drawing with paint than it is to painting like other artists do. I also think this has made me a slower painter than others. I could also say that it has taken me my whole life as an artist to make one painting, because building the skills to paint should be taken into consideration for each painting. But I would never actually say that because it would be a really annoying answer. :) I don't equate time spent on a painting as determining its value or success. I think that sometimes the paintings that I make the most easily can be more successful than the ones I labor over for a long time.

I like to cultivate the look of old herbal notebooks and grimoires with handwritten text around an illustration of a plant. I don't include text in all of my paintings. Sometimes I add just a little, like when I add text giving the common names of the plants. And sometimes there is a lot of text, in these paintings I include notes about their uses in herbal medicine, folklore, stories and songs, and old magical practices. I'm interested in learning all that I can about our relationship with herbs, wildflowers, and history of places. I hope to recreate the bond that our ancestors enjoyed with the natural world in my own small way.

My paintings are oil on canvas. I also add small collage elements to many paintings that are oil on resin paper, which I cut out and collage onto the the painting. Sometimes I secure them by sewing these on, and sometimes I use collage glue.

A: My artwork is available at a few galleries and at the art festivals I participate in throughout New England. If you're interested in a specific piece or want to see more of my work, you can contact me directly, and I can provide you with a list of available works from my studio. For more details on where to find my art, you can also check the drop-down menu on my website.

I don't have a public link to available paintings. What is available changes often, and I also don't want to compete with the galleries that are selling my work to the general public. If you contact me directly (two.turtles.art@gmail.com), I can send you an updated list of work that is currently available from my studio after I look it over to make sure the list is accurate. I do send out an updated list of available works once a month to my email subscribers. If you would like to receive that, please sign up here: https://www.margaretshipmanart.com/subscribe

Soon! We have plans to build a small studio with an accessible outside entrance adjacent to our house in Vermont in the next few years. Unfortunately, until we can offer that, I can't have anyone visit my studio because it is in a small attic up a rickety third floor flight of steps. Also, I'm 5' tall and I can even stand up fully in there. I really look forward to being able to say yes to this question! I can imagine having open studio events, workshops, and just nice visits with people in a lovely light filled studio. *sigh*

A. Limited edition prints: These are giclee prints. Giclee is a fine art print created by using a specialized high resolution inkjet printer. A giclee is in fact an “art print” but giclee prints stand apart with their extremely high level of quality, longevity and value compared to a standard print. Pronounced “zhee-clay,” the word giclee is French for “to spray.” This literal interpretation of the word defines what the art of giclee printing is: reproducing art through a printer to exactly resemble an original piece. They are printed at the Vermont Center for Photography by Joshua Farr, who has a discerning eye. I trust him to make the prints look clean and beautiful and he does a great job every time. They are printed on archival bright white paper measuring 16" square. Though this isn't a standard size frame, it is common enough that I can find many framing options with a quick Google search. The image is centered in the square and measures 12". With so much white space around each image, I suggest skipping the mat board. I sign and number each print, up to 250. When I have made that many prints of one image there won't be any more. For now, the price is an affordable $65 in person and $75 online (prints on my Etsy shop include $10 for packaging and shipping). To purchase in person visit: Harmony Collective in Brattleboro, VT Spill the Tea Apothecary in Northampton, MA Frog Hollow Gallery in Burlington VT or find me at one of the art festivals I participate in around New England B. Open edition prints: This option is managed by a third party printer through an app on my website. I don't see or sign the prints. I don't even know that you have placed an order unless you tell me. This is the most affordable option as the art prints start at less than $5 for a small size. This option offers a lot of choices. You direct the size, whether it is on paper or canvas, framed or unframed, etc. I love selling prints this way because I don't have to do anything - you receive a nice quality image of my work and I get a little bank deposit from the printer. But please let me know if you have any problems when dealing with the printer. I can help by contacting them from my end. And in all the years I have partnered with them, there was only one problem when they were backed up with many holiday orders, and they were wonderful at finding a resolution.