Keeper

Oh, life...

I was wired, raw, and exhausted after the first part of the month with the intense turnaround time of the previous commissions. I was looking forward to spending time at our wee shack by the sea and regrouping and preparing for the holidays.

Life had other plans and it turned out to be one hell of a week. I am grateful for my friends and family near and far. I am honoured and lucky to know the beautiful souls that I do.

Here are some good things that happened in my art world. This wonderful poem, Keeper by Jane Murray Bird was published in The Pickled Body. Jane's poem was inspired by my painting from 2015, Memories of distant places.

I was thinking of posting the painting that inspired Jane's poem but I love her words so much on their own. You can find my painting, Memories of Distant Places, on my website if you are curious.

In other news, UK and International, art supplier, Jackson's Art Supplies once again shared the interview they did with me this past summer across all their social media platforms. I appreciated the interview the first time around and was delighted with this additional exposure. It is always wonderful to pick up some new and lovely followers of my work. If you missed it the first time you can read the interview here.

I think that's all I have for you this week. Take care of yourself and each other. The world needs you and your art. Thank you for reading my blog and for your continued support. Happy Holidays.

Beauty finds us

A fair wind and a long way to go, Mixed media on canvas

100x120cm, © 2018 Megan Chapman, Sold

Let's pretend you are reading this on a Friday and not when you are. I had a bit of excitement and somehow couldn't sit down to get to my blog, but here I am. Better late than never. 

Our Stories, Mixed media on canvas

100x70cm, © 2018 Megan Chapman, Commission, Sold

Let me explain : 

On Monday, December 3rd I was contacted by the wonderful interior designer and art consultant, Davina Stanley at Paper+White. We've been following each other's work for a while on Instagram and both appreciate each other's talents. She asked about the availability of two paintings she had pitched to a client. One of them was a large 100x120cm painting available from my studio, one was a limited edition print (if you haven't noticed I have backed off on doing prints - but if you are in the market, all my remaining limited edition prints (like the ones HBO bought for True Detective) are available at Fenix Fayetteville). Could I use the print as a study and make a larger version of the piece on canvas? I said yes. Could I also create another large piece similar to my latest series of works but with some blush pink in the mix? I said yes. Could I turn it around pretty quickly? I said yes! 

Beauty finds us, Mixed media on canvas

100x100cm, © 2018 Megan Chapman, Commission, Sold

By Monday afternoon I had booked this rather large commission and sale and ordered the two canvases I needed. The canvases would not arrive until Friday, December 7th. On that Friday afternoon, I would begin painting. I would drink cups and cups of tea and listen to my best working music and worry and reach out to friends and put in some intense hours in the studio for the next few days. I would learn about booking a courier to get the paintings from the studio in Edinburgh down to Cambridge. I would learn all sorts of things about myself, my strengths, my friends, my resilence, and my passion. I was honoured by the trust the designer had given me to complete this project and I was grateful for the work. 

I had less than a week to complete both the 100x70cm and 100x100cm painting. This is not how I normally work. However, I can say that these paintings are honest, good, and true. I am grateful for my years of experience that allowed me to get the job done and for the confidence required to believe that I could. I stressed, cried, and even felt fear over the work. I was continually humbled by the process and I kept going. The pieces were completed, varnished, documented, and packed up and ready to go by Thursday, December 13th at 9 am and by Friday night I had confirmation that the pieces had reached their destination at The Picture Framers by the deadline. Relief!

The whole project was a thrill! I enjoyed the challenge and the feeling of having worked hard to accomplish the task at hand. I can't wait to see them photographed in their new home, in their beautiful new interiors. I am trying to make sure I take a minute to celebrate this moment in my art history. Thanks for being part of it. 

Come Monday morning, I will be back to work in my studio and with a smile on my face. I say this to all the artists out there, often it seems like the good stuff shows up right about the time you feel like you don't understand anything anymore and you just want to quit. I've been there, so please don't quit. Keep showing up, keep saying "Yes, of course, I can do that" and start believing it!

Now, I think some rest is in order.

 

With love and gratitude for everyone on the path. We are in this together, keep fighting.

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Do you enjoy my blog, my video visits, the paintings I share, or the other content that I provide for free across social media? Consider buying me a cup of coffee in support of my work. I am a member of Ko-fi.com, A friendly way for creators to get paid! Thank you!

 

A thousand decisions and conversations had with ourselves

Art has the power to rewire our brains. A thousand choices build up the layers of a painting, a thousand decisions and conversations had with ourselves and our materials.

In my normal day to day life, I sometimes obsess over making the wrong choice, ordering the wrong meal, buying the wrong sweater, saying the wrong thing, or choosing the wrong what, when, where, why, and how. I think I will be disappointed in my choice or someone will be disappointed in me for my choice.

However, somehow with my art, I don't worry as much. I know what I am choosing and why. The materials and I dance, we have this little back and forth, we compromise and the painting always sets us straight in the end. I love this. I love this knowing, this understanding, this trust and relationship I have with the process. I still have doubts and I still get it wrong but I mostly know the rules and the plan when it comes to painting. I know what I want and how to get it from my painting and that is a freedom rarely felt elsewhere or with much regularity in my life.

I have now danced across decades with these materials, paintings, and choices. My brain is better for it and my soul certainly is. My experience allows for all of this, the time spent with little paintings, big paintings, talking about paintings, writing about paintings, looking at paintings, as well as promoting mine and other's art. I keep showing up at this crazy calling that is at the heart of who I am. It's what I just seem to know, like a secret language built from years of exposure, training, learning, sharing, seeing, but mostly feeling and daring.

I wouldn't recommend this profession to many people because it is not stable or responsible and it requires help and support from multiple sources but damn, if you can stomach it, if you are lucky enough to find that support; patronage, family, friends, partners, and spouses that somewhat understand, then do it, and dive into the language, and never look back.

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Do you enjoy my blog, my video visits, the paintings I share, or the other content that I provide for free across social media? Consider buying me a cup of coffee in support of my work. I am a member of Ko-fi.com, A friendly way for creators to get paid! Thank you!