Margaret grew up with art. Her father, Michael Higgins, was a sculptor, “a crazy artist who had to carve cupids into tombstones to feed us kids.” She took a few art classes at a Hudson River institute but returned to Manhattan to become a nurse. She witnessed the death of a woman from a self-induced abortion and her life changed forever. She coined the term “birth control,” pushed the limits and went to jail for advocating contraception. She married Bill Sanger, an artist and architect.
Unlike many famous people who also create art, Margaret’s paintings are unpretentious. Celebs seem to think that fame and fortune require a Francis Bacon style on a Tintoretto scale. Her watercolors are small and straightforward, but not photographic. She brought life to the ordinary and let the paint loose to seep and saturate the paper in a controlled manner.