Backyard Spring
17x13
Artist Bio:
Margitta Hanff was raised in Germany, Egypt and Switzerland before coming to the U.S. to study
biology and physiology. After raising her two children she turned to her first love – art – and
received degrees in computer graphics and illustration. Following a short stint as a graphic designer
and art director for a small record company, she decided to concentrate on fine art, taking classes at
the Art League in Alexandria and attending painting workshops in the U.S. and Europe. Being a
biologist, Margitta loves painting a large variety of subjects — from animals and insects to
botanicals and landscapes. Throughout her extensive travels she has kept a large number of
sketchbook journals documenting her numerous adventures and she very much enjoys plein air
painting.
Margitta is a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society and the Baltimore Watercolor
Society. She is also a member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, the Art League of Alexandria,
and Salon Eight, a group of eight painters who exhibit together. She has exhibits at the Art League
Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, where she also belongs to Gallery 75.
Her work has been exhibited at Green Spring Gardens, The Saint Andrews Show, River Farm
(headquarters of the American Horticultural Society), The Mill at Millwood in the Shenandoah
Valley, Strathmore Hall, Quiet Waters, Sibley Hospital and Georgetown University Hospital. She
has had solo shows at Skadden and Skadden in Washington D.C. Blue Heron Gallery in New
Castle, DE and the Clinical Center at NIH, in Bethesda, MD.
She has received numerous awards, the most recent ones being the Delaware Watercolor Society
Award at the Mid-Atlantic Juried Watercolor Show, Honorable Mention at the Women in
Watercolor Juried show in 2020, Second Place awarded by The Virginia Watercolor Society at
PVW’s Green Spring Gardens Show and Award for Best Watercolor Landscape 2022 at The Art
League Gallery in Alexandria.
Margitta feels fortunate to be able to fulfill her lifelong passion as a full time painter.
marhanff@cox.net
instagram@margittasart