Magpie Studios originated in San Jose, California with founding members Fanny Retsek and Sandra Starkey Simon. In 2006 Sandra Starkey Simon relocated to Australia and re-established the studios in the Mount Lofty Ranges, twenty minutes from downtown Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. She was joined by artists Beth Evans and Andrea Przygonski and then in 2009 also joined by artist Mei Sheong Wong. Magpie Studios consists of a group of like-minded artists with a collective philosophical outlook.