by nanCy ransohoff

Artist Hugh Margerum has been a creative force in Santa Barbara for more than 40 years . Known for his eye-catching abstract oil paintings, Margerum has exhibited his work in solo shows at galleries including The Arts Fund, Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College, and Reynolds Gallery at Westmont College . It can be found in private collections around the country and in the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture’s permanent Barry Berkus and Family Art and the Michael and Nancy Gifford collections, as well as in the permanent collection of UCSB’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum .

Some may remember seeing his large, vibrant works hanging on the walls of the Wine Cask restaurant, which was owned and operated by the Margerum family for more than two decades beginning in 1981 . (Margerum also served in the role of host and night manager at the restaurant .)

The painter notes that he’s always had an artistic inclination . “I took photography in high school, which taught me a lot about composition and values, and just seeing,” he says . “I also took drafting, where I learned perspective and how to draw things in space, which was a valuable thing to know for art .”

Margerum went on to study at Humboldt State, where he majored in studio art with a focus on painting . “I started off doing oils and it’s really worked for me,” he says . “In some ways, it seems old-fashioned to be working on canvas with oil paints—it’s a centuries-old process . Those artists were dealing with a lot of the same things, like color, shape, and composition .” Margerum’s contemporary, exuberant work is a reflection of his interest in exploring relationships of scale, figure, ground, and color . “For me it’s kind of like each one is a puzzle . It’s aesthetic problem solving . ”

Just as his art has many layers, so does the artist . In addition to his painting career, over the years he’s been involved in community projects including spearheading the branding for the Presidio Neighborhood, where the Margerum tasting room was located for many years . As a public ping-pong promoter, he tried to get the ball rolling in a program to install sculptural concrete ping-pong tables throughout Santa Barbara, for the enjoyment of locals and visitors . He’s also a concrete artisan, with residential and commercial projects that include the bar at Intermezzo by Wine Cask . At the Margerum Wine Company, he was manager of web sales and the wine club . In his spare time, he’s co-authored two books on the plants of the Santa Barbara foothills and taught printmaking at SBCC’s Adult Education Program .

“I like to be creative,” he says . “I mainly do stuff to entertain myself . ” hughmargerum.com

Instagram @hughzer101

Huge Margerum at work in his studio. Left: "Faralone"