Peggy West holds a certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration from the Morton Arboretum and studied intaglio printmaking at Western Illinois University. She was a resident at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Peoria in the spring and summer of 2016. Her original illustrations and prints are included in the collections of Ball Seed Company, the Western Illinois University Art Museum, Prairie State Winery, and private collections. She has exhibited throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, and in 2016 launched collaborative exhibits at the Foster Gallery for Christianity and the Fine Arts in Peoria and the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth.
In May, 2017 “Transplanted” earned best of show honors at the St. Peters Cultural Arts Center. She currently works in her Peoria studio in the warehouse district at The Mill. Peggy’s monoprints spotlight common and often overlooked plant and bird species in Illinois. Each one-of-a-kind work represents a convergence of personal and natural history. Integrating the nostalgic language and science of antique field guides, letterpress type, and botany texts, her works bring voice to the struggle, growth, unique nature, and resilience of our prairies and woodlands and draw attention to each species’ potential as teacher and life coach. Her work is available for purchase in our BCA Gift Shop.
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