Debonaire

Margie Tillman Ayres grew up one of six children in Natchez, Mississippi. Margie draws inspiration from her local landscape of wild tropical vegetation that refuses to take no for an answer dotted with brightly-colored houses in various stages of decay, to the creatures that live within them.  

Margie began developing her craft with an introduction to the fiber arts taught to her by her paternal grandmother.  She went on to secure her B.A. from Tulane University and B.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She now owns Margie and the Moon, a mural, illustration and design studio in New Orleans, LA. While her work spans a multitude of mediums, her most recent commissions have been murals for Mister Mao, The Broadside, Smoke and Honey, the Waldorf School of New Orleans as well as illustrations for the likes of Zehno Marketing, Pyrex and Trader Joe’s.

When viewing a work by Margie Tillman Ayres, you can almost hear the soundtrack that fueled its creation. With a playlist that ranges from African guitar and Latin music to Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint, Ayres’ art vibrates with a colorful interplay of rhythm and pattern – whether on wall, screen, or canvas. 

Ayres hails from Mississippi and a family peppered with artists. Her great-grandmother was a fiber artist who created tapestries of appliqued fabric pieces, an influence Ayres credits for the “collage feeling” in her own work. Her grandfather – a physician by trade – made jewelry. 

“We were always outside, always around trees,” said Ayres. “I’m kind of drawn to that rhythm of pattern… of the trees when you look up, the space between the leaves and the sky.” She began exploring art as a child, making cards for her family (including five siblings): “Using my visual sense made it a little easier for me to express my feelings.”

After attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, Ayres moved to New Orleans and found a job as an artist for Jazz Fest, sculpting large works that dotted the festival grounds. She then moved to the local film industry, building her experience as a set painter and lettering artist. “I learned everything about mural painting in that job and with Jazz Fest,” said Ayres. “I just fell in love with color and way you can change the feeling in a room on a visceral level.”  Now working as Margie and the Moon, Ayres’ colorful murals can be seen around the city at spaces including Mister Mao and The Broadside (which she describes as “the ultimate for me because it’s a music space where these incredible musicians play right next to my paintings.”) She has created illustrations, animations, and more for clients ranging from the University of British Columbia to Trader Joe’s and Pyrex but still finds deep inspiration in New Orleans. Across playful canvases celebrating Mardi Gras revelers, murals in a Royal Street home, and sidewalk chalk drawings with her son, her connection is clear: “There is a magic here that is nowhere else.”

Excerpt from St. Charles Avenue Magazine