Margaret Kohel Evans began watercolors by painting florals. She was born into flowers on her childhood farm in Wisconsin. She remembers the early spring scent of apple and plum blossoms as well as hunting violets and trilliums in the woods. Her mother loved flowers and kept many beds of perennials as well as annuals: red, white and red peonies; beds of crawling pink roses that went on forever; irises and larkspur to name just a few. There was always a beautiful sight and wonderful scent when one was outside or had the windows open during spring, summer and fall.
Later, living and working in the South American tropics for eight years found her trekking to the mountains to collect orchids and enjoying the streets and yards lined with flowering trees, hibiscus, oleander, poinsettias, and bougainvillea.
Moving to the Texas Hill Country, Margaret became fascinated with the Texas wildflowers: especially the Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, Indian blankets and Coreopsis.
After devoting 45 years to private and public education as teacher, diagnostician, supervisor and finally educational consultant, it wasn’t until she was fully retired that she persevered to paint. She had moved into a new home and was determined to have flower paintings in one of the powder rooms instead of wallpaper. The walls became covered like a gallery with her framed watercolors of flowers. Margaret shares those memories with note card renditions that continue to express her creativity and sensitivity to the world of flowers she has known. Margaret has successfully branched out beyond flowers into most any kind of watercolor subject.
In 2014 Margaret used twenty-six of her floral paintings in her published book,
GIFTS FROM GOD: AN ALPHABET OF FLORALS AND REFLECTIONS. This book is available online and is a collection of Margaret’s watercolor florals and her spontaneous reflections of gifts. The book cover is graced with her watercolor, Coreopsis and Purple Salvia.
Her second book, AUNT MEG'S TREASURED STORIES published in 2022 is a collection of ten short stories illustrated and authored by her. A third book, REFLECTIONS AND NATURE WATERCOLORS published in 2023 is a product of her reflections and her own watercolors of nature.