Artist Maggie Holmes portrays a love of nature in soothing artworks
Whether hiking a beloved trail with her family, spending a quiet moment near a lake, or exploring a different city or country, Maggie Holmes of Maggie Grace Designs loves nature.
“I’m always just in awe of different landscapes, and you get to experience the outdoors with all your senses,” the Greenville artist says. “Being out in nature is where I find my peace, whether I’m with people or by myself.”
It’s also where Holmes finds inspiration for her paper and canvas paintings. Full of color and expressive strokes, they depict serene landscapes, joyful floral bouquets, or memorable scenes, often from Holmes’s love of travel.
Her artistic interests grew in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The daughter of musicians—her mother is a singer, and her father is a pianist—she spent her childhood drawing with an artist babysitter.
She also took summer art classes taught by her cousin, artist Nancy Smitherman. “She was a huge inspiration for me. At her workshops, she would get us out in nature, and we’d come back with leaves to draw. She sparked the curiosity for me, on top of just being in a very creative family,” Holmes says.
While she “grew up traveling,” Holmes acknowledges that the “travel bug” really bit her when she participated in a study-abroad program in Florence, Italy, during her junior year at the University of Georgia. She explored Italy’s art and culture with a sorority sister, fellow Greenville artist Marquin Campbell.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art, with an emphasis on painting and photography, Holmes lived with Campbell in New York City and worked with a photography agency for two years before returning to the South.
How Maggie Holmes Finds Balance
Now, she balances creating art with her roles as the mom of two daughters and the studio manager for The Campbell Collective. Co-founded by Campbell and interior designer Amanda Louise Campbell, the Collective features Holmes on its roster of all-female artists.
Daily time in her home studio “helps keep me in a groove and my creative juices flowing. I’m discovering how important it is to make sure I have time to be fully creative and truly play with a piece. It’s easy to get sidetracked by to-do lists,” Holmes says.
She often creates a series of paintings, but her portfolio also includes commissions and one-of-a-kind pieces. Her travel and nature photographs serve as a springboard for her compositions, but she doesn’t replicate the images. “I like to get a little more abstract, particularly with my colors,” she notes.
Each painting starts with burnt sienna, one of Holmes’s favorite colors, along with greens and blues. “I love how it kind of seeps through in the painting. It’s a beautiful contrast in color,” says the artist, adding that she loves mixing hues as part of the creative process.
She’s typically drawn to an earthy color palette and tends to stay away from “super bright colors, although some of them can appear bright,” she says. “Even when I bring in some corals or yellows, they’re a little more soothing.”
Her primary use of a palette knife allows for loose strokes and a build-up of textural layers. “The knife does neat and unexpected things,” Holmes explains. “I try to leave it and let it be. That is so fun for me.”
“Working on the underpainting with a big brush and coming back with a knife for texture—that’s where I find my happy medium these days,” she adds. “It’s fun to work through the stages, to see a piece come together.”
Expressive Exploring
“I’m always wondering if I’m more of a fan of the mountains or the sea and lake, but I love it all,” Holmes says of her love of nature. “If I could put myself somewhere where I could have mountains and water at the same time, that would be my happy place.”
She and her family usually explore nature by visiting Cashiers, where she and her husband were married. They also love hiking, particularly to their favorite spot, Black Balsam Knob. Located off the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville, the balsam tree-filled trail leads to a grassy wildflower-covered mountain with panoramic views.
“I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration for my mountain scenes from there,” the artist says.
To learn more about Holmes and see her paintings, visit maggiegracedesigns.com or follow @maggiegracedesign on Instagram. Her Campbell Collective pieces are available locally at Cottage Grove Vintage (1607 Laurens Rd., Greenville) or online via campbellcollective.co.
