Artist Statement

     Wherever I go I cannot help but see the colors and scenes around me as a painting. Watercolor always provides a fun surprise….no matter how I may initially visualize the finished painting, the medium always tells me who is really the boss here. Often those little unplanned-for happenings are the most interesting part of the painting.  When that happens, I just let the water do its thing.
     Creating painterly architectural images is most intriguing for me…..what stories lay behind those walls? I always try to imagine when I am painting them. I especially love painting the old buildings and the lovely town centers here in New England.
     I’ve waited many years before permitting myself to become immersed in art. The time spent in other professions has made this one all the more precious. For so long, it was on my “back burner” waiting; and now the wait is over!

Biography:

When I left my high-tech job in eastern Massachusetts for the Berkshires in 1995, I had no idea a career in art was waiting. However, living in such a creative community, to say nothing of the beauty of the Berkshires, I knew it was time for me to put away my geekiness and to exercise the other side of my brain.

A few lessons at the local art school eventually led to taking all the art courses at the community college, and then years of practice.  I purposely did not attend group workshops….I was so afraid of unconsciously copying someone else’s style that I studied theory in classes but not style…. I wanted to find my own. Or should I say, I wanted it to find me.

That’s how it started. In 1999 I summoned up the courage to show some work to a small cooperative gallery in Great Barrington, was welcomed and that began my “public” art career.

Over the years I have participated in numerous local and regional art exhibits and fairs and my art has been recognized and has received numerous awards.

A few of my favorite “art related” events:

• Dave Brubeck signed my painting, “The Masters Hands” which was later auctioned at a fund raiser for the Colonial Theatre;
• The Mayor of Pittsfield presented the Mayor of Ballina Ireland with a framed reproduction of my painting “Christmas on Park Square, 1912” which still hangs in city hall in Ballina;
• Being selected in 2012 to paint the image for the annual Pittsfield Parade Posters(except for the cancellation of the parade due to Covid, I continue as the poster artist);
• “Christmas on Park Square, 1912” selected for the bicentennial holiday globe as well as a holiday CD cover;
• My painting, “North Street at Christmas” selected to be on the rounding board of the Berkshire Carousel;
• Discovering how much I love teaching people to paint, sharing the joy of discovering that you can create something you never thought you could.
• Finding a niche in painting portraits of people’s home…..there is so much emotion, joy and rediscovered memories when working with clients on these projects.

My website holds most of the paintings I have done over the past few years. I find inspiration all around me, so expect to see a wide variety of subjects captured in my paintings, such as bustling marketplaces, bucolic farmlands, quaint villages, street scenes, lighthouses, landscapes and seacoasts, JAZZ series, Nature inspired paintings and lots and lots of buildings…and that’s just to name a few.

I recently moved to the beautiful Lakes Region (Plymouth) in May 2025. Previously I lived in the western hills called Berkshire County. I have painted well over 150 paintings of just this area and exhibit them in local and regional shows. But you will see scenes from all over the world, not just here.  I’m always looking for that special something that gives the locale its personality, its “local color”, its identity.

A number of years ago I discovered that I really love painting buildings…. which naturally led to painting house portraits.  Painting someone’s castle, whether a 2-bedroom bungalow or a mansion, is more than just depicting a structure in paint; it also involves capturing its charm and personality, its history. It can be likened to painting a person’s portrait.

Before joining the world of art-making full-time in 2000, Marguerite Bride was a software engineering manager from 1986-95 with a degree in Computer Science; she is also a Registered Nurse.

For additional information you can visit his website at:  MargeBride-Paintings.com