For some artists, challenge is found most in the daunting stare of a blank canvas or in the struggle to find inspiration—like writer’s block with a paintbrush. But for almost all artists, the greatest trial is knowing when to set aside the brush and walk away; understanding, on a soul-deep level, when a piece is complete. It is the ultimate lesson in trusting one’s instincts. And it’s a test that never-ends; each new piece, every one of those final brushstrokes, offer an opportunity for a different ending.

For Carol Maguire, each painting is a story, and its closing chapter is all about what the work is trying to evoke. “There’s this point, energetically where maybe you feel tired or not completely engaged, where it’s easy to overwork a piece. I try to stop before that,” she explains, laughing. “Less is more.”

With a unique background as a design director for a high-end doll company, Maguire has always had a creative spirit. In her forties, she decided to go to art school, and as she describes it, felt like becoming an artist was meant to be. 

“When I was first in art school, I thought everything I painted had to be well articulated and somber to be taken seriously,” continues Maguire. “Then I realized that my voice is more joyful and spontaneous than that. I want to create pieces that represent my spirit, and so now, I trust my intuition.”

Maguire’s work is very textural; she paints primarily with a palette knife to bring out the vibrancy of the colors. Often, her process will start with a still-life arrangement, and as an avid gardener and worldly traveler, she has no shortage of colorful flowers from her garden and fabrics collected on her trips to inspire her vignettes. “I love watching things come to life,” she says about gardening—the same seems to be true about the scenes she creates as inspiration.

From beginning to end, Maguire’s process is about spontaneity and energy. “I play with light to highlight different parts of the still-life and move things around until it just hits me,” she says. It happens in an instant, beautiful in its simplicity, where she will think, “I want to paint that.” 

Recently, Maguire has started to share what she calls those “magic moments” through teaching her craft. “Art has offered me so many opportunities. With teaching, I feel like I can give back to my students. I love watching them have their own ‘a-ha!’ flashes,” she says. “My greatest joy in life is sharing light and love with my collectors and my students, spreading good energy, happiness, and inspiration through my art.”

Maguire’s work is on display at Gallery Antonia in Chatham, where she has built a meaningful friendship with owner, Domonic Boreffi. While she now resides in Philadelphia, Maguire grew up summering on the Cape, and returns each year to teach a workshop titled Joyful Painting at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham. At the end of her three-day program, Maguire continues to share her joie de vivre as Boreffi holds a special show at his gallery for her work. “He’s always been such a champion for me,” emphasizes Maguire. 

While determining the end point of a work of art can be elusive, perhaps daunting, it’s also what Carol loves best—the thrill of picking up a brush without knowing what’s going to happen. Like her art, her passion is marked by spontaneity. Her paintings are colorful, exuberant—just like her. “Not every painting is going to be the one, but that’s okay. Thinking that way would stifle my creativity,” she says. Like that ever-abstract end point, Maguire knows that her creative process is largely about the journey—about “following the energy,” as she puts it, and the happiness she feels when she creates something beautiful, to whatever end.

Carol Maguire’s work can be seen at Gallery Antonia in Chatham and at galleryantonia.com.