Margaret (Peggy) Spelman
Ms. Spelman was born and raised in the Panama Canal Zone, and is a third generation CZ brat. She and her husband fell in love with the islands and bought property in Waikaloa in 1970. While raising their six children, she finished her Masters in Nursing, PhD in educational sociology, and ran two companies in health care consultation. Ms. Spelman started painting seriously in 1991 and paints for her and her friends’ enjoyment.
Ms. Spelman’s work has been shown on the mainland as well as Hawaii. She has won awards in various art shows such as Lakeland Artist Shows in western Michigan, Muskegon Community College, and Grand Rapids Community Art Show. She has shown in the Big Island Women’s Art Show in Hilo, Artists of Grand Rapids, and Holualoa Bay Villa’s art collection.
Peggy works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic, using both brush and in addition palate knife for texture. She prefers life drawing and painting on site. Peggy has worked with people all her life and continues to focus on their bodies and what they can accomplish. She is currently painting a power of the people series. This series focuses on human sweat equity for the good of the community.
Peggy likes to learn from her paintings. When she painted “Honu Olu”, she swam with the turtles and bask near them to watch their movements. For the Holua Honu, she researched traditional forms of pictorial Hawaiian communications to ensure accuracy of the designs used to tell the Honu’s story.
