One Artist's Week in Review

It has been another exciting and busy week! First of all, thank you for all your comments about last week's post. It was great to hear from so many of you and of your personal experiences with rejection in the art world. I was very happy that I had my studio blog so I could channel my energy and feelings about that subject into something positive and useful. I am very fortunate that I have this forum to share my experiences in this business with you. I do feel your support and encouragement, and I appreciate it.

This past week, four of my pieces were placed in the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers, Arkansas. My work will be showing along with the work of Kathy Thompson and Helen Phillips for the next three months. The DDP gallery in Fayetteville managed the selection and placement of the works, and the paintings will be for sale through the gallery as well. I am excited to have my work in this facility. I will let you know when they have updated their website to include my work.

In other gallery news, I am now represented by the fabulous River Market Art Space located in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas! I am very pleased to join their stable of talented artists, and look forward to participating in the 2nd Friday art nights as often as I can. I think my work will be a good fit for the gallery, and I am excited to be in the heart of Little Rock River Market area. So, if you are in Little Rock or plan to visit, look for my work there starting late January or early February. I will update you when I have a presence on the River Market Art Space's website as well. I am no longer represented by the M2 gallery in West Little Rock. I had a wonderful year with the M2 gallery and the wonderful artists represented there.

Last night, I was very fortunate to be invited to speak at the Young Emerging Leader's event, Secrets Revealed: The Fine Art of Art & Wine. The event was held in the Ft. Smith Town Club and Remy Fine Art. I was there to discuss my work, process, and what all it entails to be an professional artist as well as the joys of collecting original art. I also tried to dispel some myths in the art world as well. I encouraged the group to ask questions and think for themselves when it comes to buying original art; to let their personal tastes alone and not the fads or trends, guide them in the process. I believe if they do this, they will be satisfied with their art buying experience and the art in their collection will keep giving to them in ways they haven't even imagined. The group members asked some fantastic questions, and seemed very receptive. I was very nervous about my talk, but of course once it started, I was in my element and I had the greatest time. It just solidifies to me that this is my passion, and I am so lucky to be able to do this as a career. So a big thank you to the wonderful Y.E.L. group and a massive thank you to Jeanne Parham at Remy Fine Art. My exhibit at Remy Fine Art closes today, so if you are in the Ft. Smith area and have not seen it yet, please go check it out. The gallery will keep a selection of my work for sale, and will continue to represent my work in the Ft. Smith area. It has been a wonderful exhibit and experience, with 5 of my paintings selling so far.

Tomorrow, I will be headed back to Ft. Smith to pack up part of my exhibit and then share parts of it and trade out art with the Blue Moon Gallery in Hot Springs and the River Market Art Space in Little Rock, and at the DDP gallery in Fayetteville. In other words all the galleries that represent me in Arkansas will soon have new and exciting work in time for February. I am looking forward to trading out my work, and making everything fresh just in time for Spring. It is never too early to think of Spring!

To top this already busy week off, I have been in the studio working away. My time there has been exciting. I currently have 11 new paintings in progress right now! I think many of these new paintings will go to Gallery Fraga in Bainbridge Island, Washington. A new energy and vigor has taken hold as I am experimenting with new shape ideas, color combinations, and a bit of a new design element. As soon as I get the work photographed I will share it with my blog readers first.

So, that is a week in the life of this artist, thank you so much for being a part of it.


Restoration
A commissioned painting for a patron
through the Blue Moon Gallery
Mixed Media on Canvas 2007
Megan Chapman

Something Electric...

The Holidays are almost over now. Family and friends are soon departing and getting back to the work a day world. The holidays come on so fast and strong and just as they start they are over again. I am left wondering if I saw everyone I needed to and if I had the quality conversations I had intended. Overall I think this holiday was a success. I hope yours was too.

I like the in between time, when Christmas fades but the New Year has not yet begun. There is a stillness that comes at this time. A hopeful break, where a myriad of intentions run through my mind for the new year. I am excited by the opportunity to begin again, try one more time, and devise a new plan of action.

I have been taking some time off from painting to rest, visit with friends and family, and regroup and hopefully come up with some new ideas about where my work will head in the coming months. In 2007 I had so many opportunities come up spontaneously that, I did not have this luxury of planning. I seemed more to be painting to fulfill commitments and paint for specific exhibits. I am excited that in this new year I can slow down a bit and think about the direction I want to go, this is both exciting and terrifying. I am one of those people that works well under deadlines and under pressure. The exciting thing is I will get to create my own pressure and new challenges and push myself to reach my own set of new goals. There is still new work to send to the galleries that already represent me, there are relationships in those galleries to strengthen, there are new galleries and publications to submit my work to, and hopefully new clients to thank. New exhibits to schedule, and new opportunities to weigh. There will be paper work to file, blogs to write, websites to update and even redesign, photos of my work to take. So in many ways I know what to expect, and I will keep on the path I have set, and simply kick it up a notch.

However, I feel ( and maybe just because of the time of year again) that there is something electric around me, that something big may happen in my artistic life 2008. I also feel more and more connected to a network of artists and art lovers all over the world, and I feel the support and encouragement of those people. This support is instrumental in helping me break through and be the painter and person that I want most to be.

So, I write this with great excitement and anticipation- with a whimsical hope for all of us. Let this be my year, and your year too. I am eager to return to the studio, where I will put on my headphones, go within and paint for us all.

Happy New Year! I wish you all the best in 2008...


I was recently interviewed by Tim Lane for his MySpace blog "Artist Interviewing Artist." If you haven't read it yet you might enjoy it.
Click here for the interview

See my painting "Two Lovelies" at Remy Fine Art
720 Garrison Ave. Ft. Smith, Arkansas
Open: T-F 12-5
and by appointment.

"Secrets Revealed" Works by Megan Chapman and Steve and P.J. Robowski
December 6-January 18th

Secrets Revealed

Last night, I walked into Remy Fine Art in the Town Club in Ft. Smith, and I was stunned. I enjoyed my exhibit as a viewer might for the first few moments. My work looked brand new to me, the colors on the canvases sparked off each other. A selection of rich oranges, deep blues and golds drew me in. Everything miraculously fit the space perfectly. When I paint and gather work together for an exhibit, I rarely know how the work will fit in the space. When I walk into a venue and see the work filling the space perfectly and all the pieces are playing off each other in a way that seems to make perfect sense; I know there is magic operating in the world, and I am lucky to be a part of it. That magic exists in the gallery owner's vision for my work as they hang it, the things that I can't see anymore, they discover. They let the work speak to them in words that I can no longer hear since I am too close to the work. It really is a thrill for an artist.

PJ and Steve Robowski's beautiful and unique stained glass pieces were a treat for me as well, and I am pleased we had the opportunity to exhibit together. A big thank you goes out to Jeanne Parham and her assistants at Remy Fine Art, you really know how to put together a great show. I completely enjoyed myself, and it was great to meet and speak with everyone there at the opening about my work.

For those of you who can't make it to the show, I would love to share my work with you here. If you see pieces you are interested in or would like more information about my work, please contact Jeanne Parham. Secrets Revealed, will be on display from December 6- January 18. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 12-5 and by appointment. Remy Fine Art is located in the Town Club at 720 Garrison Ave. in Ft. Smith Arkansas.



* The slide show with this post is now out of date. Many of these works may still be available for purchase. Please check my website to find out their current location and my most up to date gallery affiliations. www.meganchapman.com