Works by Maggie Douglas – Gallery in the Round

The Gallery in the Round at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames will present Works by Maggie Douglas, an abstract, mixed-media artist, on view from August 1 through September 26. A public reception will be held on Fri., September 18 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., featuring an artist talk and discussion open to the public.

Douglas’s work explores the interplay between the natural world and human nature, delving into both their harmony and discord. Through mixed media paintings, she combines textures, colors, and patterns that evoke the natural world with stitching, collage and drawing that represent the human touch. Each piece is a dialogue, blending organic forms and human imposed structures to question where one ends and the other begins.

The natural world, with its rhythms and raw beauty, serves as Douglas’s  foundation – roots, branches, landscapes, and the chaos of the elements. Yet, these are juxtaposed with symbols of human intervention: rigid lines, fragmented figures, and abstract patterns that reflect our desires, fears, and need to control.

The process itself mirrors this intersection. By integrating diverse materials – paint, fabric, ink, paper, and found objects – Douglas creates surfaces that feel both deliberate and unpredictable. The layers obscure and reveal, much like the tension between our intrinsic connection to nature and our efforts to separate ourselves from it.

Ultimately, these paintings invite viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the world around them and within them, to consider how we mirror the natural world in our complexity, fragility, and resilience – and how, in our divergence, we often forget we are a part of it.

The exhibition is on view at Gallery in the Round, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, 1015 Hyland Ave., Ames, IA.

Viewing hours are Monday and Tues., 9 a.m. to noon, and Wed. and Thurs., 1 to 4 p.m., or by appointment by calling 515-292-5960.