Margret Preston (1875 – 1963) was a widely known Australian artist. She was very influential during the 1920s to 1940s for her works as a printmaker.

Born Margaret Rose Mcpherson in 1875, Margaret decided early in life to become an artist. In 1888 she trained with Sydney landscape painter W Lister Lister . In 1893 she enrolled at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School where she studied for just over four years. Following her time in Melbourne she registered as student at the South Australian School of Design, Painting and Technical Arts in Adelaide in 1898. During her studies she had been influenced by the German aesthetic tradition, which emphasised the importance of rendering a subject as it would appear in nature.

Margaret first travelled to Europe in 1904, studying in Paris and Munich. With the outbreak of World War I Margaret travelled to England, where she exhibited at the Royal Academy, the New English Art Club and the Society of Women Artists. In 1916, she enrolled at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts studying pottery, fabric printing and dyeing, basket weaving and the many techniques of printmaking.

In 1919 Margaret married the wealthy businessman William Preston, and settled in the Sydney Harbour-side suburb of Mosman. The colourful woodcut views of Sydney harbour, vases of Australian flowers, birds and animals that she produced in the 1920s remain her best known work.

In the late 1920s her prints became stark and geometric, travel to Japan and South East Asia increased the aspects of asymmetrical design and close observation of nature in her work. Her relocation from Sydney to the small community at Berowra on the Hawkesbury River (1932-39) also had a significant impact on her later work. She became interested in Aboriginal issues and design and Chinese art. Preston believed that Aboriginal art provided the key to establishing a national art that reflected the true nature of Australia.

Preston exhibited what are considered by art historians to be her most significant works in 1953 at Macquarie Galleries in Sydney. The exhibition included 29 prints made using the simple printing technique of stencilling. Many of the works exhibited incorporated her fusion of Aboriginal and Chinese concepts. In her later years she continued to paint, make prints, and travel. When she died in 1963, she had produced over 400 prints during her 60 year career.

References and additional images

• Butler, R. 2004. Margaret Preston Australian printmaker, National Gallery of Australia [1][2]