Margaret Southwell's extraordinary creativity and artistry is expressed in many different areas: music, art, design, gardening. Her own whimsical charm is the essence of all her creations.
Margaret earned a B.A. from New York University as well as studying at Parsons School of Design. While living in England her interest in art history took an unexpectedly practical turn when she responded to an advertisement for an " artist assistant". That proved to be her introduction to the world of antique ceramics and restoration. Today, she restores ceramics for the finest antique dealers and collectors in the world and her work can be found in collections in The Metropolitan Museum, Atlanta High Museum, and Colonial Williamsburg Museum.
Her love of antique ceramic figures naturally evolved into her own design and creation of Menagerie by M. Each animal is hand modeled and painted making each one unique. The inspiration for her fanciful creations comes from 18C and 19C Chinese, Japanese, English and Continental ceramic figures.
Menagerie by M is represented in New York City at Leo Kaplan's Ltd, ( address to be announce Mid May 2015 so wait for it) and on Etsy.com.
Margaret resides in New Jersey with her terrier mix dog, Petranella and her two cats , Wumpers and Busby. For recreation Margaret works towards restoration of forests and creating wildlife habitats. Her own garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat . She began her creative life as an opera singer.
