Maggie Rapp

Margaret “Maggie” (Axton) Rapp

Maggie has had a life-long love of art. As a child she loved to draw and spent much of her free time sketching whatever caught her eye. Her mother always commented that “Margaret could draw before she could walk.” As a young girl, she went to the house of a neighbor who was an artist and learned the skill of oil painting while sitting on the neighbor’s front porch. But since oil paint and canvas were expensive, Maggie had to restrict herself to pencil sketches and colored chalk during those early years. As a result, she excels at draftsmanship and realism in her art. Maggie describes her fascination with watercolor by explaining that “it is the closest thing to painting with God that I have experienced because there are times when I apply the brush and paint to paper and something mystical happens and I know that I did not do it; God did.” She also enjoys working with oil when painting en plein air. Maggie’s art captures reality in its fine detail and includes the earthy beauty of the world as she sees it.
Maggie grew up in New Harmony, Indiana. She has a BA in Mathematics and a Masters in Education, which might seem odd for an artist. Her practical nature led her to the teaching of mathematics while her creative side led her into many adventures with fine art and creative crafts. After graduating from college, she taught high school math while at the same time experimenting with oil painting, pastel portraits, tole painting and various creative crafts. In 2000, she took her first official art class at the University of Southern Indiana through the Continuing Education Program with artist Coral Hardt. Since that first class, she has taken workshops with Jerry Smith, Jeanne McLeish, Maggie McClellan, Gale Bennett, Helen Burkett, Susanne Brown, Bill Borden, and Karlyn Holman. Gleaning from these instructors, Maggie has developed her own artistic style and presentation.

She retired from teaching in 2001 and is currently the Director of the New Harmony Hoosier Salon. She and her husband, Ernie, reside in New Harmony, but spend winters at their Florida home in Ft. Myers. Maggie is a member of the Hoosier Salon, Watercolor Society of Indiana, Indiana Plein Air Painters Association, Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, Art League of Fort Myers, Big Arts of Sanibel-Captiva, Art League of Bonita Springs, The Fort Myers Beach Art Association and the Art Council of Southwest Florida. Her art has been exhibited at the Hoosier Salon New Harmony Gallery; the Field to Finish Exhibit during the First Brush of Spring Paint Out; The Old Stone Gallery in Newburgh, IN; Old National Bank Atrium in Evansville, IN; the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science; and The Groves in Ft. Myers, Florida.. She has been accepted to juried exhibits by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, the Riverwind Gallery, IPAPA and the Art League of Ft. Myers, Florida. She was part of a two person exhibit in August of 2007 at the Old National Bank Atrium in Evansville, Indiana. In November of 2007, she will have a solo exhibit at Evansville Commerce Bank.

Visit Maggie's website at www.maggierappfineart.com

A Toast to the Grape 22" x 15" Collage and Watercolor Coral Hibiscus 30" x 22" Watercolor
	Bougainvillea 22" x 15" Watercolor	Great Blue 15" x 22" Watercolor