SA+AH alumna Margaret Schnebly Hodge explores the cosmos in new exhibition
Casey Wooster — Writer, In The Loop - University of Florida
Long appreciated as an abstract figurative and landscape painter, School of Art + Art History (SA+AH) alumna Margaret Schnebly Hodge (BFA ‘76) has traveled a long and interesting journey from the painting studios of the University of Florida (UF) to the variety of new artwork presented in her exhibition Breaking Free: Dark Energy, Dark Matter.
Opening this week at the Thrasher-Horne Center for Art in Orange Park, Florida, Hodge’s exhibition explores a philosophical preoccupation with concepts of physical and emotional restraint, confinement and strive for a sense of freedom.
Adrift in Space - Painter strives to "create energy on the wall"
Kile Brewer — Writer, Clay Today
Margaret Schnebly Hodge imagines herself a particle floating through the universe, observing the swirling colors and lights of the cosmos. When she does this, the Ormond Beach-based artist is capable of venturing to places that no human being has ever travelled and sees unfathomable sights that exceed the beauty of landscapes here on Earth.
Hodge has used this mindset for the past seven years while creating her newest body of work “Dark Energy, Dark Matter.”
Breaking Free: Dark Energy, Dark Matter
Gary R. Libby — Director Emeritus, Museum of Arts & Sciences
Long appreciated as an abstract figurative and landscape painter using a dark and rich palette and with a philosophical preoccupation with concepts of physical and emotional restraint, confinement and a striving for a sense of freedom, Margaret Schnebly Hodge has traveled a long and very interesting path of achievement in her career to date which can be viewed in the variety of the artwork presented in this exhibition.
Inside/Outside: Selected Works by Margaret Schnebly Hodge
Laura Stewart — Educator, Author and Art Critic
Margaret Schnebly Hodge is that rare artist whose work, throughout a career marked by intense explorations into various styles and subjects, has dealt consistently with a central, universal concept. As they evolve mediumistically, the works in the Florida artist’s oeuvre express an ever-evolving state of being through forms that are poised at the moment of emerging realization, at the precarious brink of shifting and becoming something else, and something new.
In Flux: A Survey of Paintings by Margaret Schnebly Hodge
Steve Aimone — Artist, Educator and Author
Even a cursory glance at this exhibition reveals that everything about the artist and her paintings – her working process, treatment of form, handling of surface, and narrative vision – is constantly evolving, advancing, and growing. The concept of flux is apparent throughout the exhibition, operating on many levels simultaneously. Look closely and you’ll see that the progression of work in this show culminates with paintings emphasizing change and motion as their primary subject.
Richly Mysterious: The Art of Margaret Schnebly Hodge
Gary R. Libby — Director Emeritus, Museum of Arts & Sciences
Margaret Schnebly Hodge is an abstract painter whose richly textured and mysterious layered canvases hover between worlds of external matter and form and worlds of internal emotions. Educated at the School of Art at the University of Florida, Hodge was a scholarship winner at the Daytona Beach Art League and recipient of an State of Florida Artist Enhancement grant and a County of Volusia Artist Enhancement grant.
FLUX: As Subject, As Verb
Donald Dusinberre — Writer, EU Jacksonville
Margaret Schnebly Hodge is a contemporary artist from Ormond Beach who uses the human form to spring her creations to life. Created with an abstract painterly style, Hodge’s work features earthy tones of ochre, deep reds, and warm browns. The paintings don’t seem to be referring to or commenting on the human form itself, but instead they use the shapes and symbols within the body to provide a framework for the process of artistic creation.
Local artist sees, lives, paints life from big picture perspective
Erika Webb — Writer, Hometown News
A mere corner with favorable lighting is not enough. The world, or at least Volusia County, is Margaret Schnebly Hodge's art studio.
Yes, she stands in one spot and paints, but through the years Ms. Hodge has done so much more to create, promote and coordinate art viewing opportunities and funding avenues to carry its varied forms and messages. Her goal has been to enhance people's everyday lives. Art doesn't have to be tucked away in a museum.
But it belongs there, too.