Between Memory and Story

I am writing this on a Saturday morning even though I will post it as it was Friday's entry for the sake of consistency. Yesterday was too full on to stop and write. I am writing today from the Out of the Blue Drill Hall. I am sitting in the cafe watching over my exhibition, Between Memory and Story. The sun is streaming through the Victorian glass ceiling and there is a community planning meeting in the room off to the side. I am drinking a latte and soon my porridge will follow. This is a wonderful way to spend a day.

My plan for the installation was to create a meditative tunnel that pulled the viewer through the exhibition and gave space to each piece so they could be seen individually and yet also as a whole. It is light, bright and airy. The work glows on the walls as the natural light fills the space. A mum pushes her pram through the exhibition, she stops to write a note in my comment book. I am so pleased to have this moment observing my work and the viewers interacting with it. I hope it brings her peace.

My exhibition was only meant to be on from 7-9pm on Friday as part of the Maggie's Culture Crawl, a fundraising event to support those affected by cancer. We had a wonderful crush of people, the crowd was estimated to be between 300-400 visitors. A choir sang for us all and spirits were high. Some lovely conversations were had, a selfie was taken with a group of participants in front of my favourite painting. It was a lovely event.

I am delighted to report that thanks to the support of management, my exhibition was held over! So here it is up again today, Saturday the 22nd from 10-5 and again on Monday and Tuesday from 10-5 and Wednesday from 10-4pm. I am of course thrilled with this development. It is so wonderful to see this body of work hanging together as intended and in what seems to be the perfect environment. It always feels like magic when the art fills the space in the perfect way.

This is my second solo exhibition since moving to Edinburgh 4 years ago this week. I get the same thrill whether I am showing my work in a coffee shop, community art centre, or high-end gallery. The work just wants to be seen and experienced. I need the work to be seen and experienced. I am always grateful for the opportunity.

Here is a video I made before the exhibition opened, to give you a better idea of the setup. Push play to open my eyes.


If you are local to Edinburgh or will be passing through on Saturday or Monday-Wednesday please pop by my exhibition at The Out of the Blue located at 36 Dalmeny Street in Leith, Edinburgh. I would be happy to make arrangements to meet you there as well. This is one of the best opportunities to see my work as it is truly intended to be seen.

Thank you to everyone who supports my work either by being a patron in the past, present or future. Thanks to all that continue to believe in me and have helped and supported me over the years in one way or the other. These victorious moments belong to us all.

Until next week, be ready for opportunities that may come your way and 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!

Come to centre

I put my hands together at my heart centre. I breathe in and I breathe out. I put my hands together at my third eye and I breathe in and out. I put my hands together at my lips and breathe in and out and then back to my heart.

I bow to us all. 

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. 

May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. 

May all beings rejoice in the well being of others.

May all beings live in peace free from greed and hatred. 

I do this every morning after I meditate and practice yoga. This has become non-negotiable, an anchor to begin my day and to connect with myself and the world. 

I am grateful for this peaceful and kind practice. I am not trying to get anything or earn anything or be anything that I am not. I am simply coming to my centre.

And then everything else comes from there. My art, my intentions, my speech, my love, my relationships. I am not superhuman, I fuck up plenty, but the goal is to come from the centre. To live and work from this congruent place.

Yesterday, I was fortunate to ramble through the centre of the Pentland Hills to walk in the valley and see and feel the vastness of the landscape and just how small I am. I had the space to notice how small my worries, fears, and perceived problems are too. The day before I had been stressed, running from bus to bus from appointment to appointment with a mind filled with expectations and hopes. The next day I was free. I was sitting on an old low child's swing under a tree canopy in the Pentland Hills, surrounded by nature and sheep. Returned to centre. 

When I got home I wanted to dream of the place when I slept. I didn't, but I don't need to. The place is within.

I approach my best art from this place. Expansiveness. Creating something from nothing, art is a divine expression personal to me but able to reach and connect with many. This is not something to expect things from, this is a gift to be nurtured. What if I approached art from the same place as my morning meditation and yoga practice? 

"I am not trying to get anything or earn anything or be anything that I am not. I am simply coming to my centre."

Let's see...

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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!

Reminder. Next Friday, Sept 21st. 7-9pm.

Between Memory and Story: Selected Works of Megan Chapman a week from today at the The Out of the Blue Drill Hall September 21st  from 7-9pm. as part of Maggie's Centres Culture Crawl in Edinburgh.

Between memory and story

Let's see, I don't feel like I have much to say or maybe I have a lot to say but I don't know how to say it. Or I have a lot to say but this isn't the forum. Who knows. All I know is that it is Friday and I am here writing because it's what I do.

Let's start with the basics. I worked in the studio some this week but not quite as much as I would have liked. I might make up for this over the weekend.

You can see what I have been up to on the Tuesday Studio Video Visit recap.



I started fine tuning the canvases that I had been working on as an experiment for a potential commission that I shared in progress last week.

Here are two that are heading into a more finished phase but are not quite done. The other two have a ways to go yet. The colours feel fresh and bright with the pure yellow and dash of coral. We will see what happens next.

In other news, we are still stressed while looking for a new flat to rent (we have about 6 weeks before we have to be out of this one). My studio rent went up £20 a month and another gallery in Edinburgh contacted me to pick up all my work.

However, I know we will find a place to live because we just have to. My studio rent went up but I believe it now includes high-speed internet in my studio (just what I need, right?) and the gallery gave me back all my work but now I am able to present even more of my latest body of work at my solo pop-up exhibition, Between Memory and Story on September 21st from 7-9pm for the Maggie's Culture Crawl at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall.

I am incredibly honoured and excited to be taking part in this special event happening across twelve cities in the UK that aim to provide a year's worth of culture in one night all while raising funds and supporting people with cancer.

I have nothing to complain or worry about. I have had better weeks or months but I have also had worse. You bet I hit the yoga mat this week and the meditation cushion too. I reached out to friends and I felt my feelings. Every day I do that is a victory. I hope you were victorious too.

Until next week, let's 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!