Artist Bio
My name is Peggy Cawley and I am an artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina, specializing in painting still lives and landscapes. I choose subjects from everyday life that are familiar, then I enhance them with vibrant colors and textures. I am particularly drawn to compositions of food, architecture, and landscapes.
Born and raised in Ohio, I earned an accounting degree at the University of Dayton. After working as a CPA in Cleveland, I retired to raise a family. Following a painting class with my son at the Cleveland Museum of Art, I embarked on my own art education, enrolling in classes there and elsewhere. Currently, I am a student at the Holt School of Fine Art in Charlotte where I live with my family. I love to travel and in 2025, I went to Normandy, France to paint where the renowned impressionists and post-impressionists stood. My background in finance gives me a disciplined approach to painting while also embracing creativity.
My artistic style encompasses Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Abstract Impressionism. I paint in my home studio and outdoors en plein air. In my studio, I primarily draw inspiration from photographs. Outdoors, I allow nature to provide my artistic muse, painting throughout the year. My landscapes and still lives are characterized by their heavy texture, achieved through the use of palette knives and other tools. My paintings capture my perception of life as an extension of her own essence
Artist Statement
My art is a window into my world of travel and food. Travel inspires me to paint places I’ve been or dream of visiting some day. When I paint landscapes, I try to include an architectural element that will spark familiarity. I want my paintings to be a reminder of a treasured experience. For my still life paintings, I pick everyday items like florals or kitchen scenes, enhanced with color and texture to make them shine. Cooking and creating delicious meals for others is a passion that fuels my love for painting food.
In my studio, time seems to pass quickly as if I’m in a meditative state. I work on several paintings simultaneously and may take a few days off before returning to a painting to gain a fresh perspective. However, when painting en plein air, I strive to expedite the process to capture a more immediate and authentic reaction to the subject outside, making necessary edits when I return to my studio.
Painting has taught me to examine things from various perspectives, much like viewing a kaleidoscope. My goal is to find beauty in everyday objects, architecture, and landscapes. If I can see my sense of color and style within a completed painting, I consider it a success.
"Filling a space in a beautiful way - that is what art means to me." - Georgia O'Keefe