Margaret Garrett is a painter who lives with her composer husband, Bruce Wolosoff, and two talented daughters [Julia & Katya] in a waterfront, book-lined , musical instrument-laden home on Shelter Island. Garrett and her family moved to the island from Manhattan in pursuit of a more peaceful location. In her studio a few yards from her house, Garrett looks out over the water as she creates her masters of abstraction, many of which are inspired by the nature around her. Her most recent series is aptly called Tuning Fields and is represented by the Chelsea gallery Danese and at Ruby Beets in Sag Harbor.

KDH: How long have have you lived on Shelter Island in your extraordinary house?

MG: We have lived here for twelve and a half years, in the Silver Beach area of Shelter Island on the Peconic Bay. Our home was the first house in Silver Beach and it was here for the 1938 hurricane (I have always taken comfort in that fact). The living room part of the house is from the original house which we think dates to the 1930’s. We kept the shell of the original house because we loved the feeling of the living room with its beautiful wood walls, cathedral ceiling and big fireplace and we could never recreate the natural acoustics of the space even if we tried.
We opened the loft to create an office, yoga and play space, turned the kitchen into a mudroom, stuccoed the fireplace and put in wide pine floors and built in shelves everywhere. We learned that Frank Lloyd Wright had designed places similar to this and took some inspiration from his designs in the arts and crafts style railings we had built and the lighting we chose. Then, because we love to cook, we added on to one side of the living room a large kitchen and over it three bedrooms, each with a water view, and a large family bath. The bedrooms feel like you’re on a boat. Finally, we built my free standing studio next to the house. It was especially tricky making the roof lines from the original to the additions flow so beautifully.

KDH: What are your favorite pieces or spots in the house?

MG: Bruce’s piano. It’s a 1950’s Steinway Model M and belonged to his father. It’s the piano Bruce learned to play on and now our kids have learned to play on it. It was one of the few pieces we own that we had with us in our previous home on Shelter Island, a house we were renting that burned down when the house was struck by lightening, and it was saved by the quick actions of the Shelter Island Fire Department.

Daybed in the screened in porch. We built this daybed after visiting our friend, Josh Sapan’s house in Milford, PA, where I took the best nap ever. I came home and had one built just like it, which I then covered with Provencal fabric. It is one of my favorite spots in the house and where I go to relax.

Bookcases. When we lived in NYC, we had a loft on Broadway, where we had a large bookcase built to hold most of our books. We created a wall in our current kitchen to accommodate that same bookcase. We love having a book filled kitchen.

Long Pine Tables with bark legs. When we bought the house, the previous owner, who had lived here since the 50’s, asked if we wanted any of her furnishings and we both immediately asked for the two long tables. They simply belonged here and they are very useful! We eat, play, create and work at them.

KDH: How would you describe yourself as an artist?

MG: I am an abstract painter and I primarily make oil paintings on linen and works on paper using acrylic and ink. In recent years, I have also done some print making. I have been painting for 22 years. I used to be a professional dancer and people sometimes say they can see that in my work. I think there may be some relationship between my life as a dancer and my life as a painter. I work about five hours a day in the studio.

KDH: Your daughters are so lovely, creative, and unique, do you think they will become artists like their parents?

MG: Thank you! Juliet may well become some kind of performing artist, or a composer, writer, or director. She’s 17 and attending Princeton in the fall and I am sure she’ll be exposed to a lot of inspiring things there. Katya’s only 12 so it’s hard to know what will become her main passion. She currently plays cello beautifully, writes wonderful stories, makes incredible ink paintings and loves to bake. I think they will both have much art in their lives even if they don’t become artists.

KDH: Please tell us about your relationship with your husband Bruce.

MG: Bruce and I met on a blind date when I was a 21 year old ballerina and he a 31 year old concert pianist. We spent a very fun, relaxed day together in the village and a few months later I moved in with him! At the time, he was moving more towards composition and away from performance and I was beginning my search of what to do after ballet, so we have seen each other through those transitions and into our current professions.

KDH: What is the best/least attractive part of living on Shelter Island

MG: The best part of living on Shelter Island is the beauty, the peace, and the people it attracts — we have amazing friends here. The worst — the occasional inconvenience.

KDH: What is your favorite restaurant?

MG: My current favorite restaurant is Tutto Il Giorno in Sag Harbor. I love sitting outside there and I adore the penne with eggplant! I also love Vine Street on Shelter Island because the food is delicious. I always get the calamari salad and the salmon.

KDH: What is your perfect day in the Hamptons?

MG: A warm summer day. I begin it with a fabulous cappucino on the porch with my family. Then I do some yoga on the deck, take a swim in the bay and then head into the studio for a few hours. I break for lunch, touch base with whomever is around, and read a wonderful book in the hammock or on the daybed. Then I go back to the studio for a few more hours. At the end of the day, I meet up with my kids for a swim, shower and dress, watch the sunset with a glass of rose and have a beautiful dinner outside with my family and friends or go catch a great movie in Sag Harbor and dinner afterwards.

KDH: Please tell us about your charitable work with the Hayground School.

MG: Hayground is an amazing school and a beacon in elementary school education. Both my daughters were fortunate to attend and graduate from Hayground. I have served as the Board chair for several years.

Garrett’s work can be seen at Danese at 535 W. 24th St, 6th floor, http://www.danese.com/Main/Introduction.html and in the Hamptons at Ruby Beets, 25 Washington St, Sag Harbor, NY, http://www.rubybeets.com/art-photography/garrett/margaret-garrett.shtml. For a studio visit, she can be contacted through her web site, http://www.margaretgarrett.com.