Forty-six days...

I have been gone from Arkansas a little over six weeks now and there are sixty-eight more days left here to explore Scotland and the rest of the U.K.. There is a birthday to celebrate, an exhibition of my own to have, and an important opening of Stewart's to attend. There are people to see and meet and further places to travel and visit. There are things to figure out and goals to create for the next phase of my life when I return home.

I must admit, I feel unsettled, a bit restless and a bit nervous. Discombobulated. This is understandable but it doesn't make it comfortable. I have not produced a full fledged body of work in a while. Yes, I just had a twenty-two piece show of all new work in September and I have produced thirty-seven small works on paper since then, but I miss having a bigger concept and making bigger paintings.

I don't have a studio currently and I think that is another reason I am discombobulated. I have boxes of supplies to return to in my attic, which will require attention before I can resume painting again. I am very sad about the loss of my studio at the Fayetteville Underground. I am very depressed about the loss of the Fayetteville Underground and how it was handled. I know I am 4,000 miles away and I am having a grand adventure but it doesn't change the fact that I and many others were screwed out of a good thing. I know life is about change and losing my studio and even the way it happened probably enabled me to get on a plane and get the hell out of Dodge more easily but it still doesn't make it okay.

I feel like I lost my community of artists and the larger platform to interact with the public and connect with other artists on a larger worldly scale. I know I can rebuild these things whether in Fayetteville or somewhere else, but it won't be easy or the same. As an artist I am trained to make something out of nothing, and I will have to do this once I land somewhere more permanently. It should be viewed as a creative challenge and nothing more. A reason to rise again and I will. Again, it doesn't mean I have forgotten what we built and gave to the city of Fayetteville and the greater community and how it was carelessly handled and tossed aside.

I will return to Arkansas in May and I will look for an affordable or sponsored studio space so that Stewart Bremner and I can create our new body of combined paintings for our exhibition in July at the Art Center of the Ozarks. It is going to be chaotic getting back into the swing of things, but I have to believe we will both be ready to rise to the challenge.

In the meantime I must focus on our upcoming exhibitions.

"I thought I would find you here" works by Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner March 1st – April 30th, Peterson Auditorium, NorthWest Arkansas Community College,Bentonville.

"From Across the Ocean" new works by Megan Chapman opens March 6th and remains on display throughout the month. Only at Embo on Leith Walk. Edinburgh, Scotland.

I'll leave you with some of my recent thoughts about why I do what I do.  From my journal...

"I do it to create something new and unique on some level. I do it so I can create a physical object out of thoughts, dreams, atmospheres and beats from music. I do it to share with people. I need connection, I need to move people as well as move myself. Making art makes me feel human, it connects me with all the other artists that have come before and that will come after. It gives me a place in society to belong. It gives me a world to understand and a place to give from, a place to inspire and grow. I do it because it is in my blood to tell stories and entertain. I also do it for my patrons and collectors, for my own personal fulfillment and for my own self worth. I do it to show other artists it can be done, to help encourage and inspire. I do it because it is a huge part of my identity..." 

Until next week, keep fighting. The world needs your art and I need to be inspired by you.