From the editor

from Benicia Magazine December 2022 Issue

by Benicia Publishing

Booktails

Margaret Bowles

Please Take a Bow!

n From the Editor Photo by Luke George

Margaret Bowles, please take a bow!

Benicia Magazine’s founding art director, Margaret Bowles has decided to hang up her keyboard and mouse. She will be picking up her gardening and jewelry making tools as she retires from Benicia Magazine after 18 years and 216 magazines. Margaret Bowles and Jeanne Steinmann came up with the idea of creating the magazine in 2004, and at Margaret’s husband, Gerald’s suggestion, named it Inside Benicia. That name changed in 2008 to the current Benicia Magazine.

Margaret has been a graphic designer for many years, but she started her career quite differently, she was a ballet dancer and then an actor/ dancer. One of the things that Margaret will now have more time for is going to the theatre, ballet and opera.

Along with doing the graphics, Margaret has been in on every planning session, every month since the inception of the magazine, and that takes an enormous amount of time and creativity. While producing a monthly magazine, she also juggled other accounts including Clorox, Waste Management, Tegan Lighting, Salesian College Preparatory and more. Margaret also raised two boys, Jerry and Sam. The boys went to Benicia schools and participated in a myriad of sports, which Margaret supported by driving and doing all the things that moms do to support their kids.

During these years, Margaret refined her craft, always keeping in touch with current graphic styling. Her love of design also led her to a new craft, jewelry making. Her jewelry reflects her personality, it is lyrical and delicate sometimes, and bold and interesting other times. We can’t wait to see where she takes it.

After the untimely death of her husband, Margaret started rethinking priorities, and began training her daughter-in-law, Cooper Mickelson, to take over the design of Benicia Magazine. What a creative duo! Cooper’s modern style grounded by Margaret’s experience has created the new style that you have no doubt noticed in the last 5 or 6 issues.

Margaret will be staying on in a senior adviser capacity, and will lend her touch to BeniciaMagazine into the future. Margaret, you are a rock star! Please take a bow. B

Along with doing the graphics, Margaret has been in on every planning session, every month since the inception of the magazine, and that takes an enormous amount of time and creativity.