Discover Delmarva Arts: Myrna McGrath
SALISBURY, Md. — Whether she’s painting a map of the Chesapeake Bay or Ocean City’s shoreline, artist Myrna McGrath showcases the Eastern Shore’s history and beauty through every piece of artwork she creates.
Myrna started painting as a child with the help of friends and other artists.
“We went on a trip, my parents and sister. I guess I was obnoxious, I don’t know, but my mother gave me a pencil and paper, and I started drawing everything,” McGrath said.
Her first map came in 1978, created for a friend who had been searching for a Chesapeake Bay map without success. “We could not find one, and I said, well, hold on, there might be one coming.”
From there, Myrna created several updated editions of her Chesapeake map, adding new elements each time. She says the process required extensive research and numerous trips to local museums and libraries.
“I learned so much about the bay. Number one, because I had to research things before and make sure I had things in the right place, and have the right information… When I was doing all that, there wasn’t Google, there wasn’t that information right handy, so I was a constant visitor to the library.”
Myrna says she can draw inspiration from any landscape, even her own backyard, but it’s Delmarva’s iconic beaches and marshlands that influence her work the most.
“Of course, Ocean City, I’ve done some scenes of the ocean, and Chincoteague, Crisfield, they all have the nice shanties, old feel.”
She says the people who love the shore and have supported her work over the years are what have inspired her most to keep going.
“I think a lot of it is the people. People have been so kind and have given wonderful remarks. They’re happy they were able to get a map like that and have it in their house. That’s made me feel very grateful.” She added, “It just invigorated me to have those wonderful comments; it gave me a little more courage to do something different.”
You can view Myrna’s work on her website, at https://myrna-mcgrath.pixels.com/
