As Seen On : Margaret Leahy
I met Margaret’s mom way before I met Margaret. Martha Leahy had come into my studio to talk about making a custom bracelet out of some tourmaline gemstones that she had. We were chatting about some design options and suddenly she was like “You should meet my daughter. You would get along.” I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I should have. She was right.
Fast-forward to January 2022, I had just become a member of the Amesbury Cultural Council, and Margaret was the newly elected Chairperson. It was still COVID-y and Zoom-y so she was just another rectangle on my laptop, but I finally got to put a face to to this daughter of Martha.
But then, then, we finally got to meet. And start working together on art initiatives for the city, start meeting for coffees + beers, start going on woods walks + birding together, start having neighboring studios at the Artists’ Muse, start getting right along, just like her mom knew we would.
Margaret, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I grew up in Newbury, MA and now live in Amesbury — so far away from my roots! But seriously, this is the place to be. I live with my partner Carl, my stepson Calvin, and my two biological children, Franklin and Siberia (who are cats). By day, I am a Senior Copywriter at a marketing agency, but I am very easily distracted by planning unusual destination vacations and looking for sparkly trash on my daily walks — my true callings.
What do you love about living in Amesbury? Where are your favorite spots?
Amesbury is the best! It’s just the right mix of picturesque yet decrepit around the edges. My favorite things are Lake Gardner, the walk through the Upper Millyard, evenings at Brewery Silvaticus, and the thriving local curb junk scene (with which I have furnished 40% of my home).
What has your path as an artist/maker been like? What are your favorite mediums? Subjects?
I have always made art, mostly unseriously; I like to draw, paint murals, carve rubber stamps, dye fabric, make my own clothes, decorate my living space, and make my own jewelry out of found objects and scraps. My favorite mediums are experiential, immersive, and ephemeral art — I love Andy Goldsworthy, Meow Wolf, Boa Mistura, Amanda Stronza, and people whose entire Instagram presence is just them posting about things they find in the wild (Google “mudlarking”!).
How was creativity + self expression fostered for you? How does it mark your life now?
My first love was musical theatre; I exclusively did drama and choir in high school and entered college as a theatre major. Once I realized I was not going to become a Broadway star, I pivoted to English and spent my free time sewing and collecting favorite colors and shapes from nature. My parents were always supportive of my creativity; they always had odd pursuits themselves, so I didn’t feel out of place. Getting older has only made unusual self expression more comfortable.
I am curious about everything and always ask a million questions, which makes daily life very interesting and is constantly surfacing inspiration for new pursuits.
Tell us about Feed Dog Productions…where did the name come from? How did it start? How do you see it evolving?
“Feed Dog Productions” was an umbrella name I chose in 2016 to cover all my creative outputs — I use it to sign murals, post on Instagram, stamp handmade greeting cards, etc. I think I first came up with it when I was prototyping denim aprons to sell at the cheese shop I worked at. A feed dog is a mechanical component in a sewing machine: the several rows of jagged teeth that chug up and down underneath the presser foot, pulling the fabric through the machine to reduce the manual need to push or pull the fabric. I think I’ll continue to use it to sign all my work and market my art; I have the logo as a tattoo, so I can’t abandon it completely (I also can’t think of anything else to call myself. TrashWorks? GarbageArt? Needs more study.).
You and your partner Carl now share a studio space at the Artists’ Muse Studio in downtown Amesbury - what is it like to share a space together? Does working in a studio change how you view your own artwork?
Carl and I both work from home, so we are used to working silently alongside each other. Carl recently learned to screenprint (you can see samples of his work here), and having a studio is something I’ve always wanted — with the need for him to have his own space and equipment, the fact that a space opened up at Artists’ Muse was very fortuitous.
We hope to collaborate more as he gets more technically proficient. I have lots of digital illustrations I’d love to turn into prints, totes, or shirts; we also want to combine different mediums, like cyanotypes and screen-printing, or screen-printing and watercolors.
The art I’m doing at the studio is the same art I’d be doing at home, so the way I view it hasn’t really changed; if anything, it’s really fun to do it alongside someone now.
This is your first Amesbury Open Studios as a participating artist - can you tell us a bit about what you will be showing in your space? What are you excited about? Nervous about? Hopeful for?
I will be showing lots of things! I have been busy hand-sewing sparkly felt ornaments, mostly vegetables and animals and food items. I will also have an interactive bingo game where people can win experimental jewelry made of bones, brass hardware, and found objects. I am excited for all of my out-of-town friends and family to see our spot, and I am nervous that I will run out of things to sell halfway through the weekend (that is, if people like my things!). I hope people enjoy seeing all the eclectic art on display at the Muse, it’s a real mixed bag of wonder.
How did you and Amy come to meet + connect?
Amy joined the Amesbury Cultural Council in 2022, while I was chair. She was really invested from the start, and we became close fairly quickly while we tackled the inaugural Artsville Artist Shanty project on the green near the Library. While our connection was forged “in the trenches,” so to speak, we found we had more and more to talk about over time, and a friendship formed! We both love public art, sharing art and artists with each other, walking in nature, and finding inspiration everywhere. We always have something to talk about — whether logistical, observational, philosophical, practical, comical…
What has it been like working together with Amy on the Amesbury Cultural Council and having neighboring studio spaces at the Artists’ Muse?
Amesbury is a small city, so you see the same people around town all the time. But Amy and I seem to move in the same rhythmic circles — we’ll see each other on our ways to and from the studio, waiting for coffee at the Bakehouse, shopping for groceries. Even though we have deliberate hang-out sessions and scheduled meetings, we still seem to have these run-ins several times a week! Bumping into Amy is as much a part of the Amesbury experience as the lunchtime mill horn (iykyk).
Margaret + Amy with muralist and As Seen On alum Kate Delaney in front of the new ACC sponsored mural in the Upper Millyard of Amesbury
What piece/pieces of Amy’s jewelry line do you wear? What drew you to those pieces? What do you like about wearing them?
Rings: Chloe, Marguerite, and one that I think is discontinued! I like that they are subtly unconventional — not huge statement pieces, but just unusual enough that people notice and go “Whoa, where did you get that?”
How are you most often seen wearing this?
I wear the brass Avi Ring 24/7 — it goes equally well with graphic tees as with ball gowns.
Is jewelry the first thing you think about or the last thing you adorn with when it comes to outfitting for the day?
Jewelry is the finishing touch! I have so much jewelry that I can find anything to go with any outfit. But an outfit without jewelry doesn’t feel complete…once I put jewelry on, I feel fully dressed.
Thank you so much for reading the latest installment of As Seen On. You can learn more about Margaret + her work here.
We would love for you to come and visit all of us at the Artists’ Muse Studio during Amesbury Open Studios this coming weekend! We will be hosting our annual kick-off party on Friday 11/8 from 5:30-8pm with drinks + snacks + live music. The studio tour will be on Saturday, November 9 from 10am-5pm and Sunday, November 10 from 11am-4pm.
And in honor of Margaret, I will be offering a samples + seconds sale during Amesbury Open Studios, where you can save boat loads on the kinda weird + wild one-of-a-kinds that I have kicking around.
If you or someone you know wears AVE jewelry and is interested in being featured in this “Ode to the Wearers", please reach out so that I can learn more about you and what you wear.