Friday, January 2, 2009

The New...

Happy New Year...2009 is here.

I spent the first day of the new year painting, varnishing, and photographing paintings. I also read a great short story, and watched a fantastic movie. Since I am a Southern girl I also cooked my black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread. I also made sure not to sweep (yes I am a bit superstitious.) So, all in all things are off to a fantastic start. Thanks again to everyone who read and/or commented on my blog last year or last week. Even during the busy holiday week I had some of my highest numbers of readers to date. Thank you- I hope you all enjoyed it and that you will be back.

I had mentioned that one of my goals in the new year was to see more art, and I am happy to report I did go see the wonderful POST SECRET show at Crystal Bridges at the Massey in Bentonville, Arkansas.It is a real thrill that this show has come to the region. They have 450 of some of the best post cards from the post secret collection and if you are in the area or have the opportunity somewhere else to go to a post secret exhibition, I highly recommend it. The secrets are sometimes funny, painful, universal, and even occasionally hard to take, but when I left the show I felt glad to have absorbed it all and felt more human and connected for having done so. I even created my own post secret and left it in the mail box.

My main goal for this month is to wrap up and properly document my work for my exhibition Fire and Noise, that will open in Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday February 13th and close on March 7th at the River Market ArtSpace. I hope those in the area will take note and try to attend, I would love to see you at the reception on the 13th from 5-8pm.

I have thirteen pieces for the show currently, with many more in various states of progress. After all the holiday socializing and family visiting of the past few weeks, I am looking forward to locking myself away and focusing on tying my exhibition together and just painting. This sounds very good to me.I have decided to post the work in progress for Fire and Noise here, I am hoping that by posting these, it will allow me to look at them as a whole and see them as a body of work so that I may either edit them or note things that I can not always see in my crowded studio.

Some of you may have seen some or all of these before...(but this is the first time that all thirteen pieces(so far) of the show have been posted together in one place). Again I wish you great adventures, wonderful art, space and light in this new year.


Ring of Fire

This place inside

On a Monday

Emulsion

Stranger than kindness

The unheard music

At a loss for words

Baptism by fire

Shared mistakes

3 a.m.

To collect sounds

Through water and fire

Not to be undone


and I will close with one of my initial inspirations for this exhibition




15 comments:

  1. My dear friend, I applaud your body of work so far! You have courageously stretched your muscles and achieved something new and exciting. My favourites are Shared Mistakes, Through Fire and Water, To Collect Sounds and The Unheard Music. I just wish I could see them in person...
    I wish you a successful and productive time bringing it all together ready to show.

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  2. Hi Megan! I love reading your blog and always feeling lighter afterwards. The Post Secret exhibit was just as you described it - couldn't have said it better.

    Yesterday I made a black eyed pea salsa and took it up to my husband and his guys at the fire station. It was really good and the first time I've deviated from the standard peas and cornbread. And I'm so glad I didn't sweep yesterday - I had no idea it was bad luck! Whew!

    I love your thirteen pieces and the titles are so equally intriguing - my favorite this morning is The Unheard Music.

    Happy New Year!

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  3. Megan, the new pieces are terrific! I can't wait to see them when the show opens in Little Rock. Wishing you all great success in 2009!

    Sandy

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  4. PS: Does using a dust buster count as sweeping? If so, I'm doomed!

    SL

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  5. Wow - love the new stuff!!!

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  6. Ring of fire and Unheard Music do that special thing to me. Otherworldly and scary in a good way, gets me thinking deeply. I wish I could see them all in person, I gotta get out and see more art too.

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  7. Oh no!!
    I vacuumed yesterday! Does that count??

    Your new work looks terrific Megan! I love the ones that have the circular texture to them Very cool.

    Glad to hear your new year started out wonderful :) Yay 2009!

    I have a feeling it's going to be a very good year.

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  8. The progress is so wonderful. And your color palette is always so rich. Top it off with a great blast from the past (memories!) with Nick and I give this a thumbs up as a blog post. Even though the tiny font and color (blue on black) always kills my eyes. :P

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  9. Thanks everyone.The feedback is very helpful, I know which ones I have connected to the most in the series and it is interesting to hear which ones you all connect to as well. This has been a difficult show for me to put together; trying to explore somewhat different things, but getting pulled back into my built in safety zone. Complacency is dangerous and not recommended...
    Debs- thanks for saying "new and exciting."
    Stephanie- thanks for "feeling lighter" after visiting here.
    Sandy- thanks for the "terrific" and don't worry about the dust buster(not the same at all)
    Ash-thanks for the "Wow"
    Heather- Thanks for "Otherworldly and scary in a good way" (yes! This is what I hoped for!)
    Michele- Thanks for "terrific" and "circular texture." You are fine as long as you did not pick up a broom on New Years day.:)
    Susan- Thanks for the "thumbs up."

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  10. Megan,
    I have enjoyed reading your blog so much. The Wikipedia hyperlink to black eyed peas was classic. Wish I could make the opening of your show in LR but I can't. I will try to make it before it closes. Although all of the pieces shown were a treat, I LOVE: through water and fire, this place inside, the unheard music and emulsion. You create space in very interesting ways. You are so talented and I appreciate your art. - L5

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  11. L5-Thank you very much! I am glad you have found my blog and I truly appreciate your comments.

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  12. sorry ive missed ur blog the last few months...every time i read a new one im sorry i missed the last ones and i do go back and read them! you r such a hard worker, megan, your amazing! i wish u god luck in the new year and with ur new exhibit in lr!

    i hope the economy hasn't hurt ur art sales! u art is amazing so it probable has not!!!!

    i hope i see or run into u in town! u r such a positive delightful person to visit with!!!

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  13. sorry megan meant to say "i wish you GOOD luck" but GOD LUCK is good too:)

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  14. These new works show, for me that is, how sharp and focused you are becoming, how deeper more complex and sharper your world is becoming with each new layer of experience and inspiration.

    Your world is like a de-tuned radio, that is drifting in and out, everynow and then it becomes so sharp & so intune it blasts out these wonderful works.

    Like the volume has be turned up.

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  15. is there a way to follow your blog? i am really enjoying it

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