Our newest Affiliated Artist is Margo Wallace, a natural and scientific illustrator who instructs Mural Arts in Tuscon, Arizona. Read the Q&A below to get to know the newest artist in the Alliance family!
Climate Science Alliance (Alliance): Have you always wanted to be an artist?
Margo Wallace (Margo): I think that I’ve always found art to be comforting since I was young. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found ways to incorporate the medium into both my personal and professional life.
Alliance: What drew you to doing murals?
Margo: My elective class essentially evolved from “nature art” to murals. I honestly was always intimidated by mural work, until my students and I were asked to create one, so we made a plan and followed through. After enough practice, we got better. Now it’s one of my favorite mediums!
Alliance: Do you have a favorite desert plant or animal you like to paint? Why?
Margo: I love birds. I’m always looking to them for inspiration, even chickens. For plants, I’ve always found prickly pear to be such a happy, joyous and wonky cactus to paint.
Alliance: What advice do you give to your students at City High?
Margo: If someone is feeling self-conscious about a decision with painting, I always remind them that I’m never 100% sure of what I think looks good until I try it out. Even though paint feels very permanent, there’s always room to change, tweak and alter your work. It’s how you get better, and how to not hold yourself back.
Alliance: What was your “climate moment” – the moment that made you want to do something about climate change?
Margo: Honestly, I think for a lot of people my age, it was when I was 16 and saw “An Inconvenient Truth.” My mother, who works for the USGS, really made an impact on the way I think about climate, and instead of taking this “doomsday” sort of narrative, she offered me a more optimistic and proactive approach to the future. It honestly inspired me to major in Environmental Studies in college.
Stay updated with new art and updates from Margo by following her on instagram here:
Learn more about Margo Wallace and our Affiliated Artists program here:
