Points of Light...

Hope you all enjoyed the Vlog last week. As I mentioned in my talk, I am very impressed and honored that many of the readers of my blog are taking amazing steps with their art and their self-promotion perhaps due to something they have found inspiring or encouraging within my posts. This makes me so happy! Today, I want to share some of their hard work with you as well as let you know of a few local artists' current exhibitions.

First the local bulletin..



Basil Seymour Davies' masterful paintings are currently featured at the Art Center of the Ozarks in Springdale, Arkansas July 11-August 15 with an opening reception on Tuesday July 15th from 5:30-7:00pm. I cannot wait to see a whole room full of his paintings. If you are a regular reader you may remember I featured him in Six Amazing Artists You Should Know. If you are local, do not miss this show!! Congratulations Basil! Visit his website here.



Craig Earl Nelson's haunting and intimate portrait series, "Strangers and Not So Strange" is currently featured at the Mullins Library at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The exhibition will be up until August 31st. This is an impressive show, not to be missed! Congratulations Craig! You can find out more information about Craig's work on his blog and at his website here.



Local gallerist Dede Peters and co-curator Robin Atkinson, have put on a rousing show sure to be talked about at the DDP gallery in Fayetteville. The exhibition is entitled, "Dreadful Objects" and features the works of Shane Richey and Jason Clinton Barnes. Visit the DDP gallery website here.

Alright, now to the readers and friends who are working hard at the self promotion of their art. You all inspire me.



Steven Heaton created some amazing postcards using Vista Print. I can't wait to receive mine! His postcard features one of his latest paintings and his contact information on the back, along with his artist's statement. This is a beautiful example of a great piece of promotional material. Steven also created a carbonmade portfolio. Steven just had two pieces accepted into the West Lancashire open exhibition at the Chapel Gallery, and one of the accepted pieces is on the front of the card. This could not have worked out better for him! He is now prepared to promote his work in the show. Congratulations Steven! Also, Steven was recently interviewed by fellow artist Tim Lane, for Artist interviewing Artist. Check it out here.



Deborah Eileen Burrow recently created her own website, showcasing her landscape and abstract work, has an artist statement, and links to her Keeping Creative blog as well as other helpful resources and artists she enjoys. She has also created a line of refrigerator magnets with images of her paintings and is selling them through Paypal. Contact her on her MySpace page for more information about her magnets. Deborah is also researching galleries in her area and surrounding region that might be a good fit for her work. Congratulations, Deborah!



Stephanie Mallicote, who works full time, is a wife and mother of two and is carving out her own space in the living room to paint again after a bit of a break. She is always doing something creative and inspired. Stephanie just created her own carbonmade portfolio. She also writes a great blog. Congratulations Stephanie!

Enjoy the local art that is right outside your front door, make a postcard, make a magnet, make a website, make some space and keep fighting, and most importantly keep painting. It is worth it. Thank you for all you give to me and to the world through your work.

Please note that all the art featured on this blog post is copyrighted by the respective artists. I asked permission to use these images.

Tell it like it is- I can take it...

Part 1: Thanks: and the hanging of a new shingle

Thank you to everyone who viewed "Gathering the Evidence" as I write this my little film has been viewed 262 times, and that is pretty sweet. The feedback I received was very helpful and inspiring.Thank you to new friend and talented photographer Craig Nelson who also viewed the video and was moved enough to want to come over and see the paintings in person.We had a wonderful visit, and he took a lovely photograph of my studio. I love making these connections, and creating this community. Craig and I share many of the same ideas about sharing information as artists, so be sure to check out his blog- Shutter to Think, and his wonderful photographs. I was thrilled to find myself featured in his blog as well. Speaking of being featured in blogs, it was a two blog week for me, as I also found myself mentioned and some of my work featured in artist Stephanie Mallicotte's blog. Check it out. It is always exciting to be thought of and included in people's blogs. Thanks for the publicity and support!

I want to mention a brand new service I am offering. I am now available for online portfolio review/consultation. I get approached quite often on MySpace for this kind of service. Send me an email or message with a link to your painting portfolio or questions about your art, and for a $25.00 suggested donation sent to my paypal button here on my blog, I will spend an hour poring over your work( up to 20 pieces) and then give you a list of positives, cautions, and then specifics about each piece. I am very detailed and efficient at this, and I promise as an artist myself, I will be encouraging but you will also get some honest feedback. Once I email the review to you, if you have a few short follow up questions in regards to things I mentioned that is also included in the $25.00 donation. I also encourage folks to read back through my blog, as there is a lot of free helpful information available, you just have to dig for it a bit.

Part 2- Studio News: The Evidence

The work in the studio is going well. I have been hard at work on 2 24x30's and 2 30x24's this week. Moving on to the larger works for the exhibition, things will start to slow down now. Some titles have emerged such as Chatter on the Lines, Caught Between the Disconnect, We talked like Dancing Feet and These are not my Secrets. I hope to create another short film as the work for the Evidence of the Disappearance continues. If you are in Arkansas or close by save the date and come to the Blue Moon Gallery in Hot Springs for the opening reception on Friday, June 6 from 5-9pm

Part 3- What you came here for: A good story

The following quote was written in a moment of clarity 1/4/06 ( yep- we are briefly going back in time again)

"I am a painter. So deeply I am a painter. It makes me want to cry. How can I forget so easily? How can I let myself go without working? Not much brings me more pleasure or happiness. It is earned as this is not easy, no matter how many times I pretend or let myself think it is."

Occasionally, I have to remind myself. I needed to write this down a little over two years ago, and in the future I will write it down again, and it will be like a brand new discovery. I am a painter, yet I know I will forget. Do you forget sometimes? Do you push it aside, burying it under practicalities and the time frames of your life? Do you get discouraged and veer off course?

Some perspective for us both; my first solo show was in a popular local hippie "health food" restaurant in Eugene Oregon, in 1997 just a bit over 10 years ago. I want to share my statement from that show. ( Click on the picture to make it bigger) At the time, as you can see I was just going for my BA at the University. I remember the BFA seemed out of my league at the time. I am so glad I changed my tune, as once in the program I soon learned the F stood for FUN, and I experienced a new side of the art department, and explored all aspects of my creativity. If you read my statement, my main goals were to simply finish school, show and sell my art and move back home to open a "junk store"( it was to be called Finders Keepers- and sadly that hasn't happened, yet...) Looking at this statement, I can't believe I would show a body of work without any titles, as titles are so important to me now. I was so jazzed about this series of work ( my heart pod series) It was in creating this body of work that I became an oil painter and learned a lot about color and texture.

I tied a small spiral notebook to a hook in the wood paneled wall of the restaurant to gather comments about my work. In the front of the book I wrote among other things..."Tell it like it is, I can take it"

So, they told me... You can read a few of the comments for yourself.There were a few positive ones, if you count " Jesus loves you- Megan, " and "Demon painting is the best- I love it" Needless to say I did not sell a single painting from this series of self proclaimed masterpieces, during this show or ever.

My first solo show would basically be considered by many a flop. For me it was the experience that mattered- or at least that is what I told myself.

The show ended and I collected my work and my sad little comment book of scribbles, from the restaurant.I guess you could say, I had some things to consider.

I could've become sad and apparently even more depressed and quit right there.

I could've decided to fulfill the basic requirements for my degree, considered myself a hack and gotten the hell out of there.

Or, I could laugh at it all, chalk it up to experience, resume building and keep looking for other opportunities to show. I am sure you know what I did. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be writing you this blog, preparing for a show, have gallery representation, not to mention collectors across the country.

Time line (a little more perspective)

• 1995 first group show
• 1997 first solo show in restaurant
• 1999 BFA awarded: terminal books project
• 2002 received cash prize at juried art show
• 2003 first major sale
• 2004 first gallery representation
• check my resume at www.meganchapman.com for what happens next...
  

This is not an easy career path- especially when many artists have other jobs, families, and real world responsibilities but if you know that somewhere inside you, your art brings something to your life that nothing else quite does, then I encourage you to stick with it no matter what. Keep building your resume, keep putting yourself out there, keep working on your art, and then don't forget to look back and remind yourself how far you've come.

Remember, "I am a painter. So deeply I am a painter. It makes me want to cry. How can I forget so easily? How can I let myself go without working? Not much brings me more pleasure or happiness. It is earned as this is not easy, no matter how many times I pretend or let myself think it is."

Onward and upward and good luck!