Born in Blaina, a small mining village in South Wales 1964, Maggie Matthews studied Fine Art at Newport College of Art and Design followed by a degree at Exeter Art College and in 1988 moved to St Just, Cornwall where she lives with her daughter.

Harbouring a strong interest in abstraction since the early years of her painting career, Maggie works outdoors, drawing rapidly in an attempt to capture the essence of the scene, the force of a gale or the intensity of sunlight.

Her work is informed by these atmospheric conditions specific to Cornwall, and on her return to the studio she engages in a process of simplification, honing down to the essential aspects of line and evocative colour.

Exhibiting extensively throughout Britain, Maggie is successfully represented by a number of private galleries, and supplies a number of commercial enterprises in London. In 1998 she received a commission - the production of a painted panel spanning twelve feet, for the reception area of the new Cardiff offices of influential architectural engineers Ove Arup & Partners. In 2000, Maggie’s work toured various states in America including White Columns, New York, The Flint Institute of Art, Michigan and Delta Axis, Memphis, Tennessee.


"A new direction. I’ve wandered off the beach and into the garden.

"Each piece in this series of paintings and drawings has been inspired by flowers.
    
"Cornwall has a rich history of flower production and I love to see the fields of daffodils in bloom each year marking the arrival of spring. In May the coast is a carpet of sea pinks contrasted against the sparkling blue sea. The county is famous for its beautiful gardens which feature exotic plants from across the globe. But I’m also drawn to small private gardens, glimpsed through iron gates or over high walls.
    
"Over the years I have evolved a sense of seasonality, highlighted by visits to bluebell woods and buttercup meadows. This collection represents some of my enduring fascination with everything floral and tries to capture a flavour of Cornwall’s ever changing flower show."