Another new small work has surfaced (see above). There are currently four in this series, with the first one being in Manchester at the Saul Hay Gallery for their 10x10 Exhibition opening on the 13th of June. You can learn more about the exhibition and view the included works here: https://www.saulhayfineart.co.uk/10x10.
I am delighted to be a part of it and thankful for the inspiration for this new series.
Three new pieces on my studio wall minus the one I sent to Manchester
I am going to keep it simple this week. I hope you are well and inspired wherever you are. Thanks for spending some time with me.
I haven’t written a blog post in ages. I am currently 9 entries behind this year. I am going to endeavour to start filling the gaps and get back on track. Not because I owe it to you, but because my blog helps me to remember things and ultimately it helps everything else in my life. The following entries will be back dated of course and might be a bit more minimal or image heavy while I try to catch up. To those of you who have checked in here, I hope you will get something out of these entries or at least know I am attempting to work my way back to you.
A lot has been going on behind the scenes and my studio blog and my art practice have been the furthest things from my mind. Everything is a bit of a blur and I am finding it even harder than usual to focus. I am looking back at my calendar, photos I took, and social media posts to help me figure out what was happening, against a much larger backdrop that I either will or will not get into.
Thanks for being here. My last blog post was on February 7 and it proved to be a popular one, or perhaps people just kept landing on it looking for future posts. Either way I am glad many of you allowed me to be dramatic and also resonated with the post yourselves. Overwhelmed with everything going on politically, I was calling my representatives in the United States from Scotland often this week in February, along with posting political actions on social media. I was holding on to the second season of Severance as one thing I could look forward to every Friday evening even when everything else was going to shit. I started a small series of new works this week as well. Ultimately creating 7 new small mixed media collage works on paper and framing them in simple white frames. These pieces remind me of a condensed version of the “manual for living” series I created in 2010. Seems fitting - we may need a manual now more than ever.
At this time, I can only offer these works to folks living in the UK due to prohibitive shipping costs and the fact that these are framed with glass. If you are in the US and really want one please message me and I will give you a shipping quote.
Art has the power to inspire and provoke thought, and it can also be a vehicle for change. By purchasing one of these new small works of mine, you are not only supporting my work but also contributing to an important cause. £10 from each sale will go directly to the American Civil Liberties Union helping to defend the rights of all people in the United States.
"With immigrant rights, trans justice, reproductive freedom, and more at risk, the ACLU is in the courts and communities across the United States to protect everyone’s rights."
You can see the entire series together here. You can click the message or purchase buttons next to each image to send me a note of your interest, and if you want to buy the piece, I will email you an invoice with my UK bank details.
Okay, Harriet mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 12.5x16.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
Always walking up hill mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 12.5x16.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
Please let us go there mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 12.5x16.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
Let there be moments mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 12.5x16.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
Everything you climb mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 12.5x16.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
Where no one walks alone mixed media on paper Art Size A6/14.8x10.5 cm Framed Size 16.5x12.5 cm Megan Chapman 2025 £65 (includes 2nd class UK Shipping) Message for invoice to purchase
This month we are continuing to take a deep dive into my love of working on paper (see last week's post if you missed it)
Working on paper has a rich history and has been part of my art practice since the beginning. Its versatility as well as its ability to be easily preserved and displayed, as well as transported, make paper one of the first materials I reach for. The tooth and texture pull me in. The sound of the brush or pencil across it is one of my favourite things. Each type of paper has its own song and inspires the work.
A sequence of webs #3 mixed media on paper 29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in) £125
This is no child’s dance No crayon across a blank page It was born from there Kept alive by sheer will and stubbornness It was encouraged by my mother and father It was grown by teachers, mentors, and even thieves
You don’t have to understand it to feel it You don’t need to have lived it to know it A scroll - a poem, a dedication, a prayer, a song… My line dances through it all
A sequence of webs #1 mixed media on paper 29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in) £125
This piece above is all about the calming direct energy of the white stroke through the earthy noise and lines in the background. Like a ribbon or rope guiding us in or pulling us out on top. Perhaps it is a wave we are riding through life. If you look at the painting below, "A sequence of webs number 2". You can compare and contrast the two pieces and see how they are different chapters of the same tale.
A sequence of webs #2 mixed media on paper 29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in) Sold
The paintings often know the story long before I do.
Thanks for joining me this week here on the studio blog. Take care out there.
I got myself into the studio Monday from 10-2:30, Tuesday from 9-11, and again on Friday from 11:30-2:30. I recorded another Tuesday Studio Video Visit from my studio, organised most of my favourite materials, received my new drawing board, organised a survey for the Drill Hall resident artists, attended a meeting with a few artists, and started and finished a painting!
And I saw Interpol on Wednesday Night! Interpol = finished painting. It's a fact. It was my first completed abstract painting since last autumn. I am finding my way.
It was my 7th time seeing Interpol and maybe the best gig yet! Certainly, the shortest distance I have ever travelled. Amazing. I was high as a kite the next day. Invigorated.
May 31, 2007 Interpol / Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, Texas, United States Aug 01, 2007 Interpol / Calla The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Sep 27, 2007 Interpol / Atmosphere / Liars Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, Texas, United States Oct 10, 2007 Interpol / Liars Uptown Theater Kansas City, Missouri, United States
April 20, 2011 Interpol / The School of Seven Bells Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
February 14, 2015 Interpol / Barrowlands, Glasgow, Scotland
May 31, 2023 Interpol / Water From Your Eyes
O2 Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland
If you want to read about the relationship between me, Interpol, and art then just type "Interpol" in the search bar of this blog in the top left. This is a band that I have painted countless paintings to with their songs on repeat, over and over again. They sort of resuscitated me when I thought I was getting old back in 2007 (lolz - I was only 35) and at 51 they still do the trick.
Go see live music. Go see your favourite band over and over again. Have a healthy obsession. I am so grateful that I have been seeing live music since I was 13.
Right, so my art.
The Tuesday Studio Video Visit: Abundance in the studio.
I love my tools - these are my friends.
After I filmed the video I couldn't help but start a painting. I needed to make some marks on that wall so it didn't stay too pristine for too long. And the finished result is below. It's all the rage back home...
I went to the studio on Tuesday. I didn't paint but I went in and I looked around. I looked at angles, smudges, colours and lines. I got grounded and then I took care of an errand.
I went back to the studio on Thursday. It was looking iffy but I made it and I am so glad I did. I bought some Oreos and some cold brewed coffee (I'm back on a bit of coffee after 29 years of not). I also bought myself The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me album from 1987 as an extra bit of encouragement (along with the coffee and Oreos- whatever it takes). That album was one of my favourites from that very year and it's just as good now. And then the above happened. I took the large abstract painting I had done on a gifted to me 100x80cm linen canvas (thanks patron!) and turned it on its side and then quickly drew these charcoal faces. Red cheeks, white cheeks, wobbly cheeks, eyes getting more impatient and smudged, mouths quick and dirty - that's how I work. I don't have time to waste - paint around the shapes - everything is abstract - see the old painting peeking through. Spirits come forward. These quickdraws are standing all around us. Not even considered. Rude and rushed - poor and floating - they become one. I don't understand much anymore I think. But I know I don't want to make them "better" just yet. People like them raw and bad. So maybe I should too.
So, I left the spirits and entered into their world, where the yellow line took me by the hand. The more troubled, the better. Bread crumbs into the darkness that I follow alone.
"Well we’re a mile under the ground And I’m thinking that it’s Christmas And I’m kissing you hard Like I’ve got very important business And no one knows And no one sees us Because they’re drinking their selves senseless And I’m writhing And I’m writhing And I’m writhing in the snakepit..."
This week in the studio was a challenge, however, I did stick to my schedule and in fact, I put in just a little extra time in the studio on Wednesday as well. So I have managed to go to my studio at least twice a week for the past three. I am just trying to get back into the habits of showing up, being in the space, and sharing the space with my studio mate who has been there since May. I wasn't expecting any hard or serious work but then a flood of portraits came forward. I got excited, and suddenly I was expecting things of myself, my work and my time in the studio. That is a pressure that I just don't need and especially when I am trying to build habits with compassion for myself and the process. I don't want to be a machine anymore or approach this time with harsh rules, but unfortunately, it is so easy to let that part of my brain take over.
Anyway- this is a long way of saying - there were really no "good" portraits this week - maybe one or two - but definitely not six. You can see and hear my frustration during the Tuesday Studio Video Visit this week.
One from this week that might work
A lovely patron gifted me with a collection of canvases this week, and so with feeling the frustration of the faces not materialising, I decided to get out one of the largest canvases, a linen 80x100cm and have a go at painting a good old abstract painting.
A fevered energy took over and I bashed out a muted abstract in greys, blacks, and ochres. I messaged a dear painter friend, "is this a painting?" I decided it was (for now) and it certainly captured the atmosphere of the day.
Soon after I stopped painting, I heard the Queen was gravely ill. I packed up my stuff as I strangely felt the urge to get myself home. I listened to the news during the rainy bus ride and turned on the BBC once through the door. I respectfully sat up on the sofa when they confirmed the news of her death. What a long and full life.
In my UK citizenship ceremony two years ago this month, I made an affirmation - a solemn, and sincere oath to be faithful and allegiant to her Majesty, her Heirs and Successors. Every immigrant who becomes a citizen in this country has gone through this ritual. And all of those naturally born in this country are born subjects.
Life is filled with such wild and complicated moments.
A vintage postcard I was given while on my citizenship path. Stapled to the back of the studio closet door.
I may be miles from Arkansas living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland but this special collection of original works and limited edition prints are with you in Fayetteville and available now to purchase for two weeks only! This special online sale runs from April 29th to May 13th.
These works once reserved and pre-purchased online will be available for collection from the Ozark Natural Foods outdoor dining area from my friend and fellow artist Maggie Ivy on Saturday, May 14th from 12-2 pm. There will be no work for sale at the collection site - only pick up of presold/paid for works.
20% (after PayPal fees) will be donated to Northwest Arkansas charity, Able Talks "providing high-quality learning experiences for young adults with autism."
If you have any questions regarding the sale or collection of these pieces click the purchase button, this will send me an email to simply start the conversation. To finalise your purchase I will send you a PayPal invoice.
Currently, my archive only allows me to post in GBP (£). Here are the conversion rates (these can vary slightly).
Works on deep edge wood panel: £160.80 ($200.00) Small rectangular slim profile canvases: £60.30 ($75.00) Small square slim profile canvas: £52.26 ($65.00) Limited edition prints - square: £40.00 ($49.75) Limited edition prints - rectangle: £44.22 ($55.00)
Thank you for your continued support of my work, you are a rare and wonderful community of art lovers and a tough act for any city to follow.
I have only shared a few of the available pieces here in my blog. There are 11 original works on panel and canvas and 11 limited edition prints to choose from. When you click the purchase button it will send me a message with any questions or concerns you may have and we can go from there. Reach out - there are no silly questions, I just want you to live with my art and support a great organisation in the process.
In Scottish art news, I will be setting up my work along with the Abstractionistas and many other talented artists at the Dalkeith Palace this next Wednesday for the Inception exhibition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 6-8th. Get tickets to attend.
It's time for my 2nd annual "Come and get it" Studio Sale!
I am offering a selection of my larger canvas works at a deep discount (50% off). The only catch is that you must come to my studio in Leith or send someone over to pick them up on your behalf.
I happily offer 3 monthly instalment plans for all of these works. This is a great way for you to budget for art and own one of my larger pieces for your collection. Just message me to set this up - when you hit the "purchase" button it will give you a field to message me - it will not instantly sell you the piece - so click that button with confidence).
All of these paintings are on deep edge canvas with the edges painted either black or grey for a finished look and are ready to hang on your wall. Thank you for supporting my work. Please feel free to share. Email me with any questions. (megancha@gmail.com) - Megan
Bio: Megan Chapman is an internationally collected abstract painter living in Edinburgh, Scotland. She shares her art and process in her Tuesday Studio Video Visits and her Friday Studio Blog. Building community around art is an essential and joyful part of her process. “Give me a charcoal line and I will show you my heart’s story. Pair that line with paint and I will show you my life.”
Visit this week's Tuesday Studio Video Visit here. Thanks for stopping by and for your support. Please share my studio sale link with any of your Edinburgh area friends. Until next week, be well and keep fighting!
Exciting news for my west coast of Scotland friends and patrons! You can now find a selection of my work at the Helensburgh Art Hub!
Yesterday I sent over a collection of 13 paintings on paper, panel, and canvas in a variety of sizes and prices, ranging from £40- £285.
Do you know what the best part is? When you support my work through the Helensburgh Art Hub, the social enterprise gallery and hub gets a 40% commission supporting their important work in the community.
Feel good while supporting my work as well as all the good they do.
Gallery hours: Wednesday - Friday 11-5pm and Saturday from 10-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm.
This week I am presenting a collection of my available A3-sized works on paper completed in 2020. These works are from five separate bodies of work. These are all available in my shop and are for sale at £125 which includes free tracked and insured UK shipping.
If you would like to break that payment into 3 installments of £41.66 just send me a message to megancha at gmail dot com and we can set that up. The bottom line is that I want you to live with my art and I want to keep doing what I am doing and be able to pay my bills.
Thank you and please enjoy.
Memory Serves
Original mixed media painting
A3 size/11.7x16.5” 200 gsm heavyweight acid-free cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back
Purchase
Rebuilding. Sketches for a new tomorrow #4 Original mixed media painting, A3 size/11.7x16.5”
150gm smooth cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back Purchase
At first, our boundaries will be defined Original mixed media painting
A3 size/11.7x16.5” 200 gsm heavyweight acid-free cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back
Purchase
Lost in the sea Original mixed media painting
A3 size/11.7x16.5” 200 gsm heavyweight acid-free cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back
Purchase
Fresh like spring Original mixed media painting
A3 size/11.7x16.5” 200 gsm heavyweight acid-free cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back
Purchase
Held captive but the walls soothe you Original mixed media painting
A3 size/11.7x16.5” 200 gsm heavyweight acid-free cartridge paper, 2020
Signed, titled, and dated on the back
Purchase
Thank you for being here and for supporting my work. If your walls are full and your budget is tight, please consider leaving me a tip (click the pink button) for the art I provide for your enjoyment. Thank you.
Until next time, be well. We need you and the gifts you bring.
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