2am on a Friday Morning

Still

16x20" Sold
© 2010 Megan Chapman

I painted Still at the same time I worked on Upon Waking, the large painting I shared last week. This piece was a quiet spot that I could visit when the large painting was giving me trouble. This painting seemed to flow and come together quickly and without strife. I enjoy the fresh subtle colors radiating out and away from the lines and against the milky white. I am very pleased this painting has found a wonderful home in England, and will be headed there soon.

This week, I had a harder time focusing on painting and got caught up with administrative work at the Fayetteville Underground. However I did manage start another large 36x48" canvas, and I believe this one will be horizontal in orientation. We will see how it all works out. Next week will mostly be about preparing the galleries for the next First Thursday at the Fayetteville Underground. I am looking forward to having Thomas Petillo's photographs in the Hive for the month September. Not only will he have his work in the Hive but he will be in town for the reception!

Thomas Petillo

Hive Gallery

Thomas Petillo : North, West, East, South
September 1st through October 2nd 2010
Opening Reception September 2nd 5-8pm

Thomas Petillo is perhaps best known for his strikingly intimate portraits of great musicians (Robert Plant, Ben Folds, John Prine, Kid Rock and Porter Wagoner, to name only a few).Thomas has spent fifteen years honing the skills necessary to produce these beautiful images for record labels, magazines, and ad agencies. These portraits have come to define his style. But a very different Petillo has emerged in the last few years as the result of a series of commissions by Hammock, the ambient duo, who asked him to create images for their recordings. No matter his subject, Petillo's images are characterized by a delicate balance of stark realism and magical wonder, as if he stands with one foot in the spirit and the other in the flesh. This rare talent has given his work a singular imprint and has earned for him a distinguished place among contemporary photographers.

I hope all the locals will come out in droves and get to know Thomas' beautiful work and meet the artist himself. We have a wonderful September in store for you at the Underground, to read more about all the exhibitions that will be featured visit the Fayetteville Underground Blog.

And before all that kicks off, on this Saturday, August 28th at 11:00 am at the Underground. I will be giving an informal art talk on the exhibition Ghosts in the landscape #2, currently on display in the Hive by Christian Demare. This will be the final day of the exhibition, and I hope folks will come down and explore further Christian's dark, mysterious photographic worlds.

Those are the simple nuts and bolts of this artist's life for this week. There was more to it than all that, and I would like to write more about my process or my personal feelings about my art or the art world in general but the simple reportage style seems to work currently.

If you have bought my art either recently or long ago, if you have talked to me about my work, or taught me, if you have shared music with me that has inspired my art, or just supported me emotionally while I work, I just want to say thank you. I can't work alone in a vacuum, and the support I receive near and far is directly proportional to the work I put out. So, if you think I am a prolific artist, it is only because I have prolific supporters, so from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.

And as always, keep fighting. The world needs your art.

In the studio with: Still, Upon Waking,
Somehow we find ourselves on the same continent, and Sometimes

the latest...

Upon Waking
48x36" $1,800
© 2010 Megan Chapman

click on the image twice to enlarge

And for those interested, this is the song that was on repeat on my headphones as the painting came together in the end. I am grateful for the donation of this large canvas, so that I could remember what it feels like to have room to breathe and explore. Thank you.

good things and the question of balance

Let's see... Hello?
I don't think anyone reads this thing anymore, but I enjoy the routine. I think? No, I know I do, and I always like to be able to look back and see what was going on in my little corner of the art world.

First of all, the Christian Demare exhibition in the Hive Gallery is still just so dark, rich, and lovely. Yesterday, while taking a break from painting, I walked out of my studio and just looked at the work again; letting myself become absorbed into his dark worlds. I am so lucky to be able to work around such great and varied art at the Fayetteville Underground. It truly is inspiring. If you are local or regional please come to the Underground to view Christian Demare's exhibition, Ghosts in the Landscape #2. The Fayetteville Underground is open W-F 12-7 and Saturday 10-5. This world class exhibition will remain up through August 28th.

Speaking of work, I was the lucky recipient of two large 36x48" canvases from a lovely patron this week. I usually only paint 40x30" as my largest size, due to the shipping charges for over sized canvases. I am very grateful to be able to experiment with painting larger again. I haven't painted this size since art school, when I would stretch my own. So, I have been working on the behemoth this week. I love a challenge, and that is what it has been, marks that make sense on a smaller canvas don't on a larger one, and of course it takes a lot more paint. Then there is that voice that says- you are repeating yourself, this looks just like all the other ones... I just have to turn the music up a little louder to drown out that voice. I hear there is even a larger canvas coming my way soon!

In other news, some of you may remember a collaborative paper painting that artist Steven Heaton and I have been working on. "Delay before Abandon" Well, our painting is going to be in the Chaosmos 2010 exhibition as part of the Liverpool Independents Biennial. I have been friends with Steven for over three years now, and we are both very pleased to be in an exhibition together. I am very excited about this opportunity, as I have my work in many private international collections, but have never been a part of an exhibition overseas. I have seen the other pieces that Steven will have in the exhibition, and I have to say they are really exciting. I plan to do another blog feature on Mr. Heaton in the near future to share his latest and greatest works with you all. I have a lot to say about them.

Also this week, a big sale came through for me! A two panel (diptych) 40x60" painting called Stamina and Refrain from the Evidence of the Disappearance series found a good home. It serves as a reminder, that it takes time to find homes for our art, but usually a home is found. It may take years and we may have our doubts, but hopefully it will happen. Stamina and Refrain was a special painting to me for many reasons, and I couldn't be happier that it has found a place in the world. Painting sales have been picking up since April which is a wonderful feeling. I have sold sixteen paintings in the past four and a half months and I am grateful. I hope that everyone is enjoying my work, and I hope they realize how important they are to me as I continue on this path. A sale is more than just money in the bank for living and supplies, but it is the validation and encouragement that I thrive on and that helps me to continue on and make more art.

I am still thinking about the issue of balance, which has always been a concern and has popped up in numerous posts in my blog over the years. I have never been good at balance, being more of an all or nothing type of person. I know this is not healthy, and I keep trying to work it out. When I am not painting, talking or writing about my own art, I am talking with other artists, helping them with their art, sharing my resources, encouraging them to continue, curating shows, and helping at the Underground etc. I love doing this, but I do wonder if I am not hiding in my work at times. It is my passion, it is what I am here to do. I am here to tell stories, make connections, take photographs, paint paintings and then share it with the global arts community and beyond. I know this is my purpose on the planet, but I still need to remember to touch the ground on occasion. Anyway, just some thoughts.

I've become one of those people...



Thanks for stopping in, see you next week?

This is August.

White Series 2010: As it stands now from Megan Chapman on Vimeo.

It is quiet here.
More news next week.