In 1936, a talented, beautiful American artist ran away to Mexico City to escape a boring marriage, marry an exciting lover, and join the “big three” Mexican muralists—Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros. This is the story of my search for who Annette Nancarrow was, her adventures in an historic period in Mexico, her work as an artist.

Artist on the Edge is the story of Annette Nancarrow, an American artist who has remained in the shadows for far too long yet influenced a unique moment in history—1935 through 1955—in Mexico City. It’s a story about longing.

In 1907 two baby girls were born in two culturally distinct countries—the United States and Mexico. Annette Margolis and Frida Kahlo would grow up to be accomplished artists, friends, and an integral part of a social circle of intensely creative people in Mexico City.

In the United States, the mid-1930s were a time when hope and renewed dreams were the business of the day—hope that the grinding poverty of the depression was finished, dreams that prosperity and opportunity lay ahead.

New York City’s dynamic and exploratory art scene of the early 1930s included exposure to the bold work being done by Los Tres Grandes—José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Siqueiros—the “Big Three” of Mexico’s muralism movement.

Sidney Pepper and Annette travel to Mexico City in 1935 where she will meet and fall in love with Louis Stephens.