Art Brain. Art Gene.

The more artists I know and talk with, the more artists I read about and meet, all seem to have a very strong set of characteristics and qualities; similarities in how they view and interact with the world..

What do you think? Is there an Art Brain or an Art Gene?
Talk amongst yourselves...

and here is a video while you are thinking about it and basically writing my blog this week...

Comic Sans...NSFW

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How is everyone doing out there? Tell me about your upcoming exhibitions, projects, or any ups and downs in your art world you would like to share in the comments...

You and whose army...

This is a long overdue post.

Here is the deal. I feel I have a large supportive army behind me and I don't thank them as often as I would like. These people talk to me, write me, laugh and cry with me. These people inspire me, support me (sometimes with their purchases), but more often with their advice, time, attention, energy and love. I can't thank you all specifically, as I imagine some of my army would like to remain somewhat anonymous. I hope this post will still carry as much weight without a list of names and reciprocating web and blog links. I hope you can feel it in your heart what you mean to me and that you will know I am talking to you.

Thank you to everyone who has ever emailed or told me you saw my work, whether online, in a publication, or in the flesh and told me that it moved or inspired you. Thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my blog, blip, myspace, and facebook pages. Thank you to anyone who has made it a point to come up and talk to me at a gallery opening, or in my studio about my art. I feed off your positive energy. Thanks to all my teachers, good and bad who had a hand in shaping my artistic voice, you pushed me hard either way. I loved to work hard to impress you, learn more, and grow. I worked just as hard to prove you wrong about me if you ever had any doubts. Thanks to my best friends, who share their music, movie and book selections with me and keep feeding my soul when it gets empty. Without you I wouldn't keep playing this game. Thanks to all the artists that have come before me and left their beautiful, flawed lives behind in their art and stories. Thanks for all the living artists who give advice away freely and inspire and encourage. Thanks for all the people in my life who know I struggle at times, thanks for the ones who worry and let me vent and say ridiculous things when I need to. Thanks to my family for encouraging me on this path, even though sometimes it is clear it has not always been the easiest or healthiest choice. I have the most amazing friends from all over the world, and that is because of my art, and if that is all my art ever really gets me then that is good enough and I am very fortunate.

I do really think about you, my wonderful army of supporters, friends, family, and peers and I do use your strengths when I am feeling less than stellar; when I am unsure, when I am tired and low. I call on you and you always seem to come and pull me up and through.

Please know I am in your army too, and I've got your back.

Love,
Megan

Let the rains come...

Last night the tornado sirens went off for a long time while I was in my basement studio of the Underground and I was not worried. I listened to the thunder, lightning, and sideways rain.

I had spent the day driving a sharp pencil line through the heavy pulp of paper and paint. Just making dark scratches and hard edged lines while painting over them again and again. I could not get the pencil lead black enough or get the lines to make any sense. I will probably make more lines today- a guttural gesture across the paper, over and over again. This is the only thing that feels good right now.


music by Fever Ray, the song is entitled, "now's the only time I know."
all photographs ©2009 Megan Chapman

Thank you.

How I spent my summer...

I hope you will enjoy my latest paintings that were created in my studio in the Fayetteville Underground over the past 3 and a half months. I am so pleased to have these documented so I can share them with you, but also so I can share them with myself. This enables me to step back and re-examine with fresh eyes, and also serves as proof to myself that I have been working. It is easy for an artist to downplay any success we may have and to discredit ourselves. I encourage you to gather up all the evidence of your creative life and allow yourself to feel good about it. Keep fighting and never give in. I know I have said this countless times, but every day we paint is a victory.

Thanks to the locals for another amazing first Thursday. It was wonderful to see you all and talk with you about art. Keep coming back.

On a side note I was asked this week to submit 7 of my favorite songs and write a short essay for each one as part of the Ozarks Unbound Song Book. A new song is released each day. Click here to check it out.

*the music in my video above is by Moby, the track is Ghost Return off his latest release Wait for me.