Books

Miriam Macgregor (born 1935) is a British author, illustrator, wood engraver, and fine press compositor. Born in Shillong, Assam, Macgregor was educated at the Guildford School of Art.  She began her professional career in the art department of the publisher B. T. Batsford, before becoming a freelance artist. In 1977, she began to work for the fine press publisher, Whittington Press. Macgregor is a self-taught wood engraver and member of the Society of Wood Engravers and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. In addition to the texts she has illustrated, her subjects primarily concern English rural life, farming, architecture, botany, and felines.

This book is a short biography of Miriam’s life including a small selection of her many wood engravings and pochoir illustrations, produced for various books over the years.

Pochoir is French for stencilling but involves an intensely delicate and difficult laying of coloured shapes to form an image. Few have executed it as successfully as Miriam Macgregor. Knowing that it was a medium used by Picasso and Matisse, Richard Paice saw her work in 2012. He was captivated and felt this artist deserved greater recognition. It lead him on a quest to find out more about this remarkable artist.