A Spark…

I (Margaret) have had an innate interest in drawing and design nearly all of my life. As a very young child, I drew an entire city with crayons and used it for my toy cars. When I was 10, I entered an art show in New York and won an honorable mention for a chalk drawing of my favorite calf, Ferdinand. This experience confirmed a belief that I had an unusual talent for graphic representation. I continued to act informally on a number of creative pursuits until, in my 30’s, I enrolled in the Graphic Arts program at American Intercontinental University in Atlanta, Georgia. There I developed my skill at design and layout, drawing, and painting.

A Passion…

Another theme in my life has been caring for critters of all kinds. I grew up on a farm and enjoyed working with and caring for cows, chickens, turkeys, and horses, as well as dogs and cats. I've spent much of my life rescuing and rehabilitating critters. Tempting birds to my home has always been a primary focus, and at one time I was feeding a couple hundred hummingbirds at my feeders. It seemed only natural to combine my love of nature with my love of art.

A Dream…

Christmas 2018 began what I couldn’t have known would turn into a very enjoyable and profitable venture. In trying to think of an unusual gift for my family, I decided to build some basic bluebird houses. Then I thought it might be interesting to paint them like their homes. They loved them. I posted them on Facebook and BirdBatNBeyond was born.

Fulfilled

Though there are a number of carpenters on my mom’s side, I had never worked with wood before. But the more I introduced myself to wood as a medium, the more I loved it. As time progressed, I began to design more elaborate birdhouses. Now, I feel pretty comfortable designing, building and painting almost any style of home. I’ve recently built the Hemmingway House in Key West, Mr. Owl’s House from Winnie the Pooh, and I’ll soon be starting on George Washington’s Mount Vernon home. There is nothing more wonderful than walking into my workshop and breathing in the warm and sunny smell of sawdust. It is my hope that this venture will follow me into retirement.