Margaret Owens retired from Mercy Community Healthcare in 2021, but she has continued to assist Mercy as they go through the construction of their new 33,000- square-foot, state-of-the-art facility off Mack Hatcher Parkway in Franklin, Tennessee, which is due to be completed later this summer. With a little more free time, she is starting her second act by going back to her first love – Art. Her inaugural showing is taking place at the Spring Hill Library in June and July.
Owens was an art major in college, but those who had graduated before her gave her a bit of advice that caused her to change directions.
“Many with my college major cautioned me regarding the difficulty they had encountered in ‘earning a living’ with an art degree,” said Owens, “so I made the decision to move into Healthcare Administration as a career. I became a Certified Medical Practice Executive through the American College of Medical Practice Executives and a Certified HIPAA Compliance Officer through the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance, Inc.”
In 2006, Margaret Owens settled in Spring Hill with her husband and became the Chief Operations Officer of Mercy Community Healthcare. Previous to coming to Mercy, she served as the administrator for a healthcare practice in Mississippi for 18 years. But her days in healthcare are almost over.
“Recently, my husband built me a wonderful studio so that I can now focus on my…[a]rt,” said Owens. “I am very excited about what the future holds as I pursue this next chapter!”
Her style is realism, and her subject matter is moths and birds. Beautiful things in nature inspire her. She enjoys drawing things with great detail, exposing things that most people would normally miss seeing in everyday life.
“The intricacies found in nature are mind-blowing to me upon close examination,” said Owens. “I find this to be true of everything in nature, from the number of spots on a moth to the differences in feathers on the same bird. I enjoy painting and watercolor, but my true love is ink.”
Her series of exacting moth ink drawings called, “Drawn to the Light,” will be on exhibit at the library the entire month of June, and her bird series, “The Waders,” will be displayed during the month of July. Her drawings of different varieties of moths as adults and in their caterpillar stage, as well as her birds in their habitat, remind one of the drawings of famous naturalist John James Audubon with their exacting detail. Or an architectural drawing, which harkens her back to her youth.
“My father was an artist and guided me a lot while I was growing up,” explained Owens. “The summer after I graduated high school, I was hired to draw architectural renderings for a firm in Jackson, Mississippi, where I was born and raised. I was only 17 and had to teach myself. This experience helped me learn how to concentrate on detail with my ink. Drawing architectural renderings enabled me to pay for my first two years of college.”
Hand drawn architectural renderings show the design elements, as well as the materials used in the development of a building design, both interior and exterior. They may also show the placement of lighting fixtures, furniture, appliances and décor so that clients are able to visualize the end product of their home or business. They are very detailed, noting colors, textures, patterns and other elements of design while giving the room a feeling of life. This background has had a significant influence on her artistic style, which has a feel of activity and movement.
Those wishing to purchase prints of her work will soon be able to do so through Laurel Mercantile Co., of HGTV’s “Home Town” television series fame. She is in the process of being licensed through that company. Until then, they may be purchased directly from her at [email protected].
The Spring Hill Library is located at 144 Kedron Pkwy, Spring Hill, TN 37174. The library is closed Sundays and Mondays and open 8:30am – 7:30pm Tuesday through Thursdays, 9a, – 5pm on Fridays and 9am – 5pm on Saturdays.
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