Margaret Tsirantonakis is a Greek-American visual artist known for her paintings and works on paper that emphasize vibrant color, expressive brushwork, and the influence of Mediterranean light. Born in Chania, Crete, Greece, she was raised in Queens, New York. She lives and works in Stamford, Connecticut.
Tsirantonakis studied at Parsons School of Design, in New York,earning a BFA in Painting. Her work often explores the relationships between landscape, objects, memory and place, drawing inspiration from her frequent visits to her birthplace in Crete. The intense light and colors of the Mediterranean are recurring influences throughout her work. Her artistic style is characterized by layered color, gestural brushstrokes, calligraphic lines and a balance between abstraction and representation. Nature, gardens, Cretan mythology and travel experiences frequently appear as themes in her paintings.
Tsirantonakis has exhibited extensively in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Greece. In 2024 her paintings were selected to be in the group exhibition A Sense of Surface at The Painting Center in New York City. In 2027 she will have her fifth solo exhibition at Prince Street Gallery in New York City. Her artwork is held in private collections in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Artist Statement: “Color continues to be of prime importance to my instinctive painting process. I like to use saturated and unexpected color combinations with oil paint and a variety of gestural and calligraphic marks to make painted layers that “breathe”. Negative spaces are as important as positive ones, animating the entire canvas. My imagery is frequently inspired by nature I observe (flowers, plants, trees) as well as by trips to Crete (my birthplace) that focus on the land, the sea and ancient Minoan art as a source. During my travels as well as at home I make watercolors in the plein-air tradition, and drawings in my sketchbook. Both are important to my artistic practice.”
Essays
Katherine A. Schwab essay for 2023 “Ancient Echoes” exhibition catalog Read
Jeffrey Hoffeld essay for 2011 “Inside/Outside Color” Exhibition | Read
