Peg McNinch

Peg portrait

Biography:
Peg McNinch grew up in central Wisconsin where she studied painting, ceramics and charcoal drawing in high school, college and at the Oshkosh Public Museum.

Arriving in the Copper Country in 1978 she changed her focus to stained glass. During the 80’s and 90’s her work included lamps, panels and large murals. Her most notable panels were the “Window to the Copper Country” commissioned by Michigan Tech and installed in the Archives at the Van Pelt Library and “The Three Faces of Eve” which won best of show at the Copper Country Gallery exhibit. During her employment at Keweenaw Gem & Gift, she developed skills in the silversmith and lapidary arts.

From 1994-2005, Peg combined these art forms into original jewelry design. These non-traditional pieces were made of stained glass in the traditional copper foil technique and took the form of pins, barrettes and earrings. Some were accented with stone, metal or unusual beads.

In 1999, Peg took her first beading class which opened a new door for her. She began using seed beads and bead embroidery became one of her preferred techniques.

Married with 2 grown sons, Peg and her husband live a back country lifestyle, off-the-grid, in a 110 year old log house which they renovated. Solar panels provide electricity, a wood stove heats the house, and a big garden provides fresh produce.

Samples of Peg’s work can found at www.silverrae.com

 
Short video clip of Peg’s work at The100DayProject exhibit at Peter White Public Library in November 2013:


My 100DayProject exploration:
“My project began at a time of a life transition. I was coping with my husband’s abrupt retirement and my creative life had reached a plateau. Facing so much change, I decided to work with beads (creativity), stones (grounding element), and the number 27 (years of my husband’s career) for my 100 day project. My intention was to explore new possibilities, make some sense of the change, and see where it all leads me.”

 

My Project Rules:
Each piece made needs to include beads, stone, and the number 27.

 

Peg project

 

If I could tell people ONE thing about starting a 100 day project:
“There is no way to prepare yourself for the outcome of this project. It’s just amazing where you’ll go.”