Romantic notions at work

 

 All sewn up. a shop window in Glasgow. © 2012 Megan Chapman

Hello Dear Readers,

Thanks so much for stopping by for the latest installment in the Edinburgh report. This week I saw more art and took a day trip to Glasgow! There was lots to see and do this week, so let's get to it.

This past Saturday, we went to Out of the Blue Drill Hall, to their art market event. The Out of the Blue Drill Hall is a lovely open and light filled space, I imagine it would be wonderful to have a studio there. It was all set up with arts and crafts booths. Stewart found some cuff links from the artists at Reworkd Workshop and I got a ring from Amelia at Little Red.

This week I helped proofread a beautiful catalog for Stewart Bremner's upcoming exhibition, Worlds Apart with Kevin Low. It has been an amazing phenomenon to watch his exhibition start with a simple idea and evolve over time and then to be created while I have been here and mostly while I have been in the room. To talk about these new works and see them emerge from nothing has been a thrill. He has created a complex body of work and has experienced all the highs and lows that come with that and I have witnessed the process in between sight seeing, meeting new people, and creating my own work and having my own exhibition. What an experience this has been! Stewart's exhibition opens on Thursday April 5th at Union Gallery. If you are in the area, please don't miss it. I think this is an extremely important and moving body of work as well as his best work to date.

The rest of the week was filled with sunshine and open windows as the clocks sprung forward. There was a lovely walk back up Calton Hill, probably one of my favorite places in Edinburgh for the views, slight wilderness and of course all the monuments. It is simply a magical place and in the sunshine of spring it is golden. When I looked over the city identifying places and areas I have walked over these few months it became clear how much I have explored and that I am becoming attached to the area.

In other news, more pieces from my series From Across the Ocean sold this week and I am grateful. Selling my work is my only source of income as I am surviving abroad on a shoe-string budget and still have expenses from back home to cover. I wouldn't trade it for the world though. So to everyone who has purchased my work here in Edinburgh or through my Etsy shop. Thank you very much! You are keeping me fed and the bills paid and I can't do it without you. The exhibition at Embo will come down soon and I will add the remaining available works from that show to my etsy shop.

This week also marked another first! I took my first train trip! We spent Wednesday in Glasgow, Scotland just seeing art and meeting up with a few of Stewart's friends, including artist Kevin Low. It was lovely to get to know the man that Stewart is going to be sharing the Union Gallery with next month. But, back to the train...I loved it! What a smart way to travel. It was fun and relaxing to sit there and watch the world go by and not have to worry about driving. I liked passing through the small towns as we took the fifty minute journey. Once there, it was an amazing experience to walk out of the station and out into the middle of the city square. The sun was again shining brightly and my camera was put to good use all day. It was a lovely day trip arriving at noon and leaving after dinner. I hope I get the chance to take more day trips by train before I leave. In Glasgow, we walked around looking at all the buildings and of course we took in some art at the Gallery of Modern Art and then later at Kelvingrove art gallery and museum. Both spaces were beautiful with an impressive range of art. At the Modern I saw the works of Beuys, Cartier-Bresson and Kruger, while at Kelvingrove I saw Van Gogh, Matisse, Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, Monet, Dali, and much much more. It was a great day trip filled with inspiration and possibilities. You can see my photographs from Glasgow here.


After returning from Glasgow the pace slowed a bit as I happily looked through my photographs, walked around Edinburgh and visited the latest exhibition at the Talbot Rice Gallery where we saw the works of Alison Turnbull and we glimpsed the works of James Cumming from the balcony but as the curator was giving a tour, we didn't want to disturb the group. We will have to return to see the Cummings work in greater detail, which is no problem for me, since the gallery is very close to the affordable and tasty Mosque Kitchen where curry is served! Also this week, Stewart surprised me by arranging a small meet up with two quality Blippers. It was a pure delight to meet up with Mr. Smith and Red at my beloved Barony Bar for drinks and a long chat. I have now enjoyed meeting and spending time with all my favorite blippers in the area. It is so lovely to meet people that you have followed through photographs for years and find they are just as delightful in person.


So there you have it. That has been my week. The sun is still shining as I type this and a breeze blows across my face from the open window.... Not a bad life at all. 

keep me here
mixed media on paper 7x5"
© 2012 Megan Chapman, $40

********************* 
Places to see my work currently:

In Edinburgh, Scotland:

From Across the Ocean
New Works by Megan Chapman
March 6th until the end of the month (Hurry! Not much time left!)
Embo, 29 Haddington Place
Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Mon–Fri 8am–4pm
Sat 9am–4.30pm.
Closed Sun.
Learn more by clicking here

In Arkansas:

I thought I would find you here
Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner
March 1st – April 30th, Peterson Auditorium
Shewmaker Global Business Development Center
NorthWest Arkansas Community College.
Bentonville. Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here 

A Certain Trajectory
recent works by Megan Chapman
on rotation throughout the gallery
Blue Moon Gallery
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here

Online places to buy, view, and learn more about my work:
Etsy Shop
Website

Art, Sunshine, Flowers...

 

 daffodils and a castle © 2012 Megan Chapman

Hello Dear Readers!

Let's see, what happened this week... I made art! I made fifteen new works  to add to my From Across the Ocean series. These will be the final works in this series. I really enjoyed working yet again in my temporary kitchen work top studio in Stewart's flat.

You can see my most recent pieces listed on Etsy:



Also, I am very excited to unveil a simple site allowing viewers to see all forty-four works on paper from this series and note the progression and the story of my being here in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here is "From Across the Ocean" in its entirety. Click here. 

In other news, this week I saw the latest offerings at the Open Eye Gallery and re-visited the bright and brilliant works at Union Gallery. I also went to the Royal Scottish Academy to see their latest exhibition of recent graduates. It left me wanting more. 

It has been very exciting around here as Stewart's exhibition is getting closer and closer. It has been a thrill to see it all coming together from behind the scenes. It is going to be a wonderful exhibition. If you are reading this and are local to Edinburgh, please put it in your plans and come along!  

Other than the art, a few walks, art supply buying, art making, helping Stewart how and when I can and enjoying the start of spring and the daffodils at the base of the castle in the Princes street gardens, I guess that is all I have for you this week. 

Until next week, thank you all for your support of me and my work and following along and being apart of this adventure and as always, keep fighting!

********************* 
Places to see my work currently:

In Edinburgh, Scotland:

From Across the Ocean
New Works by Megan Chapman
March 6th until the end of the month (Hurry! Not much time left!)
Embo, 29 Haddington Place
Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Mon–Fri 8am–4pm
Sat 9am–4.30pm.
Closed Sun.
Learn more by clicking here

In Arkansas:

I thought I would find you here
Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner
March 1st – April 30th, Peterson Auditorium
Shewmaker Global Business Development Center
NorthWest Arkansas Community College.
Bentonville. Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here 

A Certain Trajectory
recent works by Megan Chapman
on rotation throughout the gallery
Blue Moon Gallery
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here

Online places to buy, view, and learn more about my work:
Etsy Shop
Website

Donations are always appreciated especially while I am abroad. Buy me a cup of tea if you feel inclined, some art supplies, or a ticket to a cultural event. Any amount is helpful. I'll keep making art and sharing my adventures and travels with you. Thanks for your support!

What a wild ride...

 

no longer a sanctuary, © 2012 Megan Chapman

 mixed media on paper 5x7", £40

currently on display at Embo

As you recall last Friday night, the opening for my exhibition, From Across the Ocean was held at Embo. I recall being a bit nervous and having some wine as soon as it was available. I know what openings are like in the States, but how would it be in Edinburgh, I wondered? People started filing into the small cosy space. They seemed dressed in dark colors as I would expect. I was also dressed in black. They were smiling and seemed happy to be there, to see the work and to meet me.

My opening was accidentally and yet aptly scheduled into the Blipfoto meta meet itinerary. Many Blippers from all over the world descended on Edinburgh the same weekend as my opening. It worked out so perfectly. I really enjoyed connecting with so many people that I have a distant, yet a very familiar, connection with. The exhibition was well received with even a sale on opening night! One more piece has sold since then from the framed group of works at Embo and a few similar works also sold during the week from my Etsy shop. I am grateful.

Unfortunately, the next day we got a call that Embo had been broken into later that night or early the next morning. The news just seemed impossible. The thieves had taken the cash register with £100 in petty cash and an employee's iPod, but other than that the place was untouched. We felt horrible of course, as I had been given this lovely opportunity and we had been trusted to lock up after the opening. That put a bit of a damper on the whole event and put us in a tailspin as we tried to figure out how we could make it right. Stewart and I both had quick sales in our Etsy shops and talked to the owners repeatedly about what we could do.

It turned out the employee's iPod was under warranty and she could get it replaced. The register was quite old and they were thinking about replacing it. It was a lesson learned for all of us and in the end worked out okay. This was an unpleasant experience but it wasn't the crisis it felt like when we first heard the news. I will choose to remember the smiles, faces and wonderful voices of all that attended my opening and again made this Arkansas girl feel welcomed into this city.

My exhibition is up until the end of the month. I hope those that haven't seen it yet will go check it out. I am so pleased with how the small works are mounted and float within the deep, white modern frames. There are ten framed pieces left and at just £40.00 they are a steal!

In other news, this week included a whirlwind visit with my friend Ashley. She lives in the Netherlands with her husband and three children. We have known each other since I was fifteen. She arrived this past Sunday for a four day visit and visit we did! We walked over thirty-two miles in the four days she was here. We saw and did a lot and I have documented this fact on Facebook and Blip, but I figure I should put it here too for my memory.

Visit with Ashley:

Sunday, meet on Waverly Bridge, Walk through city center to hotel, Calton Hill, Old Calton Cemetery, The High Street, Castle Esplanade, City Cafe (lunch), Old St. Paul's Church (for an art exhibition), Fruit market gallery (to share our distaste), Siam Thani (dinner), Barony Bar, Black Bull (loud heavy metal juke box fail), Cafe Royal (didn't stay- they were closing), Milnes (folks need to get a room and get dressed). Monday, Walked over to Stockbridge visited every Charity shop on the street that was open except one! Maxi's (for lunch), Saw the Gormley in the waters of Leith, Walked along the walkway under the Dean Bridge, Dean cemetery, Scottish Gallery of Modern Art (sculpture show), Barony Bar (CHIPS!), Then later to Stewart's for La Favorita Pizza and beer. Tuesday, High Street, St. Giles Cathedral, Victoria Street, bookstore, ran into fellow blipper!! (Such a thrill to run into someone here!) Red Door Gallery, Armstrongs, Book store, Pubic Triangle, Film House (lunch Curry), Herman Brown, Book Store, Jewelry store, Greyfriars Kirk, National Museum of Scotland (quick walk through), Old College, Spoon (for Cake and coffee), Charity shop, Princes St., Lush, Barony Bar (chips!- and the last hurrah!). Wednesday, Embo (see my exhibition, lunch, coffee), two Charity Shops on Leith walk, Walk, Walk, walk...Botanical Garden/Cafe/Glass House/Gift Shop, Walk...Hotel, Treacle, Hotel, Walk to Waverly Bridge Airport bus and say goodbye.

I saw some art and I saw more amazing buildings and I navigated the city and went into some new places and made some new discoveries and probably felt more at home here since I was more independent. This gothic wonderland is pretty manageable as long as you have a good pair of walking shoes and some cash. 

 

This lovely town © 2012 Megan Chapman

When I sat down, I intended to write a different blog. A blog about my thoughts and the reality of the situation I am in. The closer it gets for me to go home the more I think I like this place and the more up in the air I get about returning to Arkansas. Yet at the same time I am not sure about being in Edinburgh either. All choices will require a lot of work and there are no easy routes to take. I got myself here as an artist and I have covered my living expenses both here and back home all this while. This is no easy task. The money part of being an artist is never going to be easy and being a world traveler was never supposed to be part of the equation. However, I am grateful to have this problem. I am grateful for all the unknowns in my life at the present, because surely that must mean I am truly living.

******************************************************
Places to see my work currently:

In Edinburgh, Scotland:

From Across the Ocean
New Works by Megan Chapman
March 6th through the month
Embo, 29 Haddington Place
Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Mon–Fri 8am–4pm
Sat 9am–4.30pm.
Closed Sun.
Learn more by clicking here

In Arkansas:

I thought I would find you here
Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner
March 1st – April 30th, Peterson Auditorium
Shewmaker Global Business Development Center
NorthWest Arkansas Community College.
Bentonville. Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here 

A Certain Trajectory
recent works by Megan Chapman
on rotation throughout the gallery
Blue Moon Gallery
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Learn more by clicking here

Online places to buy, view, and learn more about my work:
Etsy Shop
Website

Donations are always appreciated especially while I am abroad. Buy me a cup of tea if you feel inclined, some art supplies, or a ticket to a cultural event. Any amount is helpful. I'll keep making art and sharing my adventures and travels with you. Thanks for your support!

Tonight's the night!

 

 good and quiet
mixed media on paper 5x7"
© 2012 Megan Chapman

£40

Tonight is the opening of my first solo international exhibition! It is very exciting as you might imagine. It is a bit surreal  but at the same time I have been working towards this for a while so here we are. It feels a bit like Christmas. 

I have created twelve new works on paper for this exhibition and along with these I will be showing four of my remaining pieces from my last exhibition, Sometimes I love you and other stories. These four canvas paintings were shown during my exhibition in September at the Fayetteville Underground and then they made the transatlantic journey before I did so that they could be included in the Winter Wonderland exhibition that was in December and January at the lovely Union Gallery in Edinburgh. I am really glad that these works will have another chance to be viewed here. They tie in nicely with the more affordable, smaller, white framed paper works.

As with the canvas paintings, in the smaller pieces I used an older manual type writer that jumps and sputters, leaving uneven spaces but this time with red and black inked words. The words are my own and reflect my thoughts while being here in Edinburgh. While the canvas paintings words reflected my longing to be where my partner was and aspects of our relationship broken into three worlds; the imagined, the technology based and finally our meeting in reality.

The paper works reflect the relationship as it is here in Scotland and are much more grounded in the reality of what I have done to get here to Edinburgh and face my fears of the unknown. The paper works also reflect my surroundings as I take in this new land. The lines echo the geology of the area, the sea and the atmosphere of the grey winter sky. The paper pieces are evidence of the conversations in my head as I reconcile what I have done to change my life and find myself in this relationship and in Scotland. Simple words, lines, and vintage ruled paper from Her Majesty's Stationary Office that once belonged to Stewart's grandfather are used to stage these moments and hold them in a type of  permanence..

I have created twenty-nine small works on paper while I have been here in Edinburgh. It has been a challenge with a small kitchen work top studio and different materials but it has also been a thrill and makes me feel even more confident in my commitment to my art. I am particularly pleased with the last batch of works I did that the viewers will find in this exhibition. It was also pleasing to see them framed. I don't usually frame my small works on paper, leaving that up to the patron, but for this exhibition I knew I wanted to have them all framed in simple white deep frames. They look so clean and fresh framed and the dark text and the yellowed vintage paper really pop!

I hope the exhibition will be well received. Truly for me it is already a success. To be here and to be having a show is just an amazing experience. Thanks for going along on this ride with me. I hope to take some photographs of the opening and I will try to post them next week if not sooner. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Until next week... keep fighting.

From Across the Ocean
New works by American artist Megan Chapman
Opens Tonight! Friday March 9th at Embo from 6-8pm.
29 Haddington Place Leith Walk, 
Edinburgh. Scotland.

no longer a sanctuary
mixed media on paper 5x7"
© 2012 Megan Chapman

£40

From across the ocean...

From Across the Ocean (a stairwell preview)

Hello Dear Readers,

As you know my blog serves as my travel journal currently as I am in Edinburgh, Scotland. I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with everything I have been up to lately. I feel the need to do a quick catch up for my own records and then I need to turn to my own personal art world for a minute, as some very exciting things are happening.

Let's start with the tourist stuff.

There was of course more art. At this point I am revisiting some of the galleries I first visited as the shows rotate each month as you would expect. We returned to the Open Eye gallery to catch a new exhibition by Barry McGlashan called Quiet Please. Barry seems to be a surrealist painter and places people into surreal surroundings and landscapes. I am usually a fan of surrealism. I was more keen on some of the backgrounds for his characters in his pieces than the whole piece combined. Also at the Open Eye, I spied some more work by Paul Charlton, an artist I had mentioned in an earlier post that had some work accepted in the Royal Scottish Academy gallery in the 2012 Visual Arts Scotland Annual Open Exhibition of visual and applied arts. It is a good feeling to recognise his work and to start to get a feeling for the Edinburgh art scene.

That same day we also returned to The Scottish Gallery for a repeat viewing of the brilliant William Johnstone exhibition, with Stewart buying the impressive catalogue. After that there was another stop in at the cosy Greyfriars Art shop where we bought much needed art supplies. It is such a delight to buy from a small retailer in person.

There was also a return visit to The National Portrait Gallery, with Stewart and his Mother. I think I enjoyed it more the second time. The same paintings gripped me and it felt good to see them again. I guess am finding comfort in the familiarity of things since I have been here for a while.

I think that catches us up with the art. I visited a nice pub and met up with some of my blip friends in mid February. It was great to all be out together, laughing and having a good time.

During that same weekend we made our second pilgrimage to the North Sea and it's beaches, this time with Stewart's dear friend Craig. We went to Gullane beach and walked to the sunken submarines on Aberlady. Then we walked over to the fields of tank traps and back to Gullane. We were out walking for about 4 hours. Then it was time to get some proper chips with salt and sauce in North Berwick. We walked the streets as we ate the tangy salty chips. This will be a good memory for me to take back home. Eating huge salty and sauced chips in the sun watching the waves crash with Stewart and Craig.

Another good and simple memory from Edinburgh will be going to get a picnic lunch and walking to Princes Street Gardens to enjoy it on a sunny day. That was lovely. On that same day I visited another pub, this time very close to home. The pub had a nice atmosphere on an empty afternoon after the sun picnic and wander around the city and its shops.

I also visited the Filmhouse cinema where we were fortunate enough to see the acclaimed film The Artist. The film played to a packed house and did everything a good film should. The filmhouse is a lovely place that serves great food as well. A curry was had afterwards.

One day recently I decided I was ready to tackle Arthur's seat. It was a sunny brisk morning as Stewart and I trekked up what seems a daunting hill. I was unsure if I could make it because it looks so big but I got up to the top to see the beautiful views. We also stopped over at St. Anthony's chapel ruins as well. Afterwards, we roamed around the new Parliament building and I saw the palace where The Queen stays when she is around as well.

There were lots of little shops popped in and out of, lots of walking, and some local foods sampled. You know, just the typical things you do when you are visiting somewhere new. There was also a visit to an extraordinary cemetery, Greyfriars kirkyard. The very old graves were like macabre works of art; dancing skeletons and skulls and crossbones abound. There was another pub visited, this time with Stewart's Dad. A nice old place that grew on me after a while, packed and loud on a Thursday afternoon. There was something kind of comforting about a pub filled with older men. I think that about has us caught up on all the tourist things since I last wrote about that sort of thing.

In the art world of things.

I created ten more new small works on paper here in Stewart's kitchen/my temporary studio. Just an example of where there is a will there is a way. Yes, I miss my studio, but I have to make art and I have to make it work. I was so happy that I created these new small works for my exhibition, "From Across the Ocean" that opens on March 6th (that happens to be my 40th birthday). My exhibition will contain twelve small works on paper and four pieces from my recent "sometimes I love you and other stories" series. The show will be up March 6th through the end of the month at  Embo located at 29 Haddington Place, Leith Walk, in Edinburgh. The opening reception will be Friday March 9th from 6-8pm. I am very excited about this exhibition. I just framed all the small works on paper and I am so pleased with how they turned out. Having a solo exhibition in a different country, opening on my 40th birthday just seems too good to be true. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given and I am proud of all the hard work I have done in the past to get me to this point.

In other art news closer to home, Stewart and I have an exhibition currently on display in Bentonville, Arkansas. You can see the pieces that are in the exhibition here. I hope the NWA locals will go and check it out. We are very proud to be showing our works together in our first official combined exhibition.

Megan Chapman & Stewart Bremner
I thought I would find you here
March 1st – April 30th, Peterson Auditorium
Shewmaker Global Business Development Center
NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Bentonville.

For more information about our exhibition please contact Eric Smith 479.619.4263 or email ESMITH@nwacc.edu

And that my friends has us all caught up! I am grateful for the support I have in my life, my friends and family near and far, my patrons and collectors. I am so happy to be able to share this adventure with you all. Thanks for your continued support and encouragement in my work and life.

Until next week, keep fighting...