Last weekend's Abstractionistas exhibition

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Abstractionistas exhibition at the Granton Hub. Here are a few snaps of our art in the space. We each had a few sales and it was lovely to have an exhibition in the community where I live. 

My work and Susan Wilson's. 

Susan Wilson

My work in the corner browser rack and Susan's on the wall

A close-up shot of my work on the wall

I hung 6 works from my 15-piece series "This is how we tell the story"

Judith Shaylor

Madelvic House, Granton Hub

Paper by the Abstractionistas our 5th featured exhibition as a collective

geraniums outside the large windows of the exhibition space

The light was lovely in the space

We provided some Scottish favourites during our reception

Here's a wee video tour of the exhibition: Paper - Abstractionistas

That's all I have for you this week. Next week, there will be some new developments... Stay tuned and thank you so much for your support. Until next week, keep fighting! 

Abstractionistas Exhibition This Weekend!

You are invited to our new exhibition!

"Paper" is the latest exhibition by the Scottish women's art collective, the Abstractionistas, featuring artists, Megan Chapman, Judith Shaylor Art, and Susan Elizabeth Wilson. The group is delighted to bring their works on paper to the Granton Hub during the Edinburgh festival.

The three-day pop-up show is open to the public from 11-4 pm on the 12th, 13th and 14th of August at the Granton Hub, Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh, EH5 1HS. The artists will have a public reception on Saturday the 13th from 2-4 pm. Join us!

Abstractionistas: Paper
August 12-14th 11-4 pm
Reception Saturday, Aug. 13 from 2-4 pm
Granton Hub, Granton Park Avenue
Edinburgh, EH5 1HS

Upcoming Abstractionistas Exhibition: Paper

Exhibition news: 

"Paper" is an exhibition by the Scottish women's art collective, the Abstractionistas, featuring works by artists, Megan Chapman: Abstract Painter, Judith Shaylor Art, and Susan Elizabeth Wilson.

The Pop-Up show is open to the public from 11-4 pm on the 12th, 13th and 14th of August at the Granton:hub, Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh, EH5 1HS. The artists will have a public reception on Saturday the 13th from 2-4 pm. Join us! 

Until next week, I hope you are well, happy, and inspired. 

Two exhibitions! Make plans to attend!

Hello Dear Studio Blog Readers, 

I am happy to share again that I have work coming up in two exhibitions in July. It's time to get serious about the promotion of both of them. So here goes with thanks to both press releases. If you are local to Edinburgh or plan to visit, I hope you can catch one if not both of these exhibitions. 

Artwork by Abigail Osborne ‘a lot of people want you to throw this away' (2020)

granton:hub is pleased to announce that our community is now included in the 'Coastal Knowledge’ project funded by the RSE Young Academy Scotland and led by Dr Niki Vermeulen (University of Edinburgh) celebrating Scotland’s (prolonged) year of coast and waters.

As a coastal community, Granton plays a part in developing diverse forms of knowledge about the coast and experiences that people have living and working on the coast.

The Recycl-Age Art exhibition was selected as part of this Coastal Knowledge project and is included in the 2021 Edinburgh Science festival, offering artists a unique opportunity to showcase their work. Recycl-Age Art 2021 includes painters, printmakers, collage artists, ceramicists, illustrators, photographers, textile artists, jewellers, composers, poets and makers. Many artworks incorporate recycled elements, indeed several are made of 100% recycled and repurposed materials. Some artists reflect on what recycling means to them, figuratively or conceptually

With contributions from: Marta Adamowicz –  Elise Ashby – Anna Baran – Emily Brooks Millar – Sandra Brown – Megan Chapman – Erin Colquhoun – Michael Dawson – Gina Fierlafijn Reddie – Penny Forbes – Komachi Goto – David Gray – Lorna Johnson – Jessica Kirkpatrick – Victor Nobis – Valerie O’Regan – Abigail Osborne – Ludovica Perosin – Ian Reddie – Judith Shaylor – Jacqueline Thow – Mark Urban – Rosemary Walker – Bev Wright

Here is the preview video:

I am delighted to participate in this exciting exhibition. As you may recall I was very inspired by the granton hub when I showed there in the past and wrote a blog about the experience. You can read that post again here. That positive experience encouraged me to apply to become a volunteer at the hub. I have been enjoying helping behind the scenes in preparation for the Recyl-Age exhibition.

On to the next big show... 

A really exciting moment is approaching for the Abstractionistas, the new abstract collective of which I am a proud member. I really hope to see you at this exhibition.

Advancing the Abstract’ debut exhibition by Abstractionistas collective

Friday 9 July 2021 - Sunday 25 July 2021

Reception: Saturday 10 July 2021, 2-6 pm

Open daily from 12-5 pm

Gallery Two, Edinburgh Palette, St. Margaret’s House

151 London Road

Edinburgh

EH7 6AE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abstractionistas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Abstractionistas

Book your Free Exhibition Tickets: https://bit.ly/exhibitiontickets

‘Advancing the Abstract’ is the debut exhibition from a new collective of abstract painters based in Scotland. The collective, aptly named, The Abstractionistas, is currently made up of four artists - Esther Donaldson, Megan Chapman, Judith Shaylor and Susan Wilson. These women bring a depth of experience in the arts and a firm dedication to abstract expression, each one striking a different chord with their use of colour, line, space, and drama.

The goal of the collective is to create more opportunities to share the enduring importance, power and pull of abstraction with viewers across Scotland. Please join us for this exciting inaugural exhibition.

The exhibition will be open to the public, subject to current government guidelines. Masks are required except for those who are exempt, social distancing will be in place, and hand sanitiser will be available.

Please book your free tickets on Eventbrite so that we can provide you with a safer and more enjoyable exhibition experience. There are 10 tickets available for each 30-minute time slot to allow for physical distancing.

To attend the opening reception please select ticket times between 2-6 pm on Saturday 10 July. All the artists will be available at this time and would love to see you there!

The sun was glorious

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Hello, dear art lovers and readers of the Friday Studio Blog! I hope you are all doing well. 

I am thankful for you and for the print orders that have been coming in more steadily for the past three weeks. Your orders are really keeping me going just now. I now offer twenty-one different prints in my shop ranging from £15, £25, and £40 and with free UK shipping too! They make great gifts for your friends, family, and especially for yourself!

I am getting ready to be busy as next month I will be participating and helping to organise two different exhibitions in Edinburgh (and in the real world!?). One will be at the Granton Hub and one will be at Edinburgh Palette, St. Margaret's house, both in July. Next week I will give you all the details. 

My feelings have been a bit all over the place as the summer approaches and the news of the world continues to overwhelm with both hopeful and still shite news. I am walking daily and spending time appreciating flowers, my cat, and the lovely people in my life. I am still keeping things mostly quiet and am in no rush to return to normalcy whatever that is. 

I tidied up my home studio area. I had a great art talk with a fellow painter, I worked on preparation for both exhibitions, signed and titled prints, and took them to the post office. It was a pretty good week.

The wind is blowing through the open window, there are potatoes baking in the oven for dinner. The sun was glorious this morning. I will be posting out more prints next week too. I'll end as I began with gratitude for your support. 

Don't forget, I place my orders with my fabulous printer every Monday morning at 9am. So if you are looking to get a print from my shop, get your orders in by Sunday night for quickest turn around time each week. You are supporting two women-owned small idependent art businesses with every purchase and that is a good and helpful thing. Thank you - Megan 

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There's no place like home

What can I tell you? What can I share? 

Well, I have had some glorious conversations, affirmations, and put in a lot of hard work this week and so I have arrived here a bit worn out.

Ties that bind
mixed media on canvas board
5x7"/13x18cm
©2021 Megan Chapman
£55 with free shipping in the UK

I learned recently that there is an old house inside me and in the deepest room, there is a kitchen with a long wooden table. I always have a seat reserved there. I can bring whatever I need to bring to this place and I will be received with unconditional care and space to just be. I can see the light coming in the windows and my shoulders drop and I can breathe deeply. I am greeted the same at the table if I am rage-filled, sad, lonely, scared, tired, or happy as a clam. My table is always there in the light in the middle of the house. I carry this place with me. I will forget sometimes, but I do know it is there. Home within.

This scene makes me cry every time...

In other news, yesterday I joined the Granton Hub as a volunteer member of the arts subgroup to contribute ideas and help run events in their arts programme. I attended my first meeting and I am very excited about the ethos and happenings at the hub. I invite you to like their social media pages and posts if you don't already.

FB:

https://www.facebook.com/madelviccommunity/

TW: https://twitter.com/granton_hub
IG: https://www.instagram.com/grantonhub/
YT: https://bit.ly/3cIKyVA
Web: https://grantonhub.org/

And in other, other news, after the computer failure (and thankful replacement) of last week, I realised I really need and want to create a proper archive of my past, current, and future work. I have found an online platform, that has all the features I need to help me manage my art, exhibitions, finances, and patrons in one place. This platform would help me immensely going forward. I am asking my patrons and supporters to invest in my past work and my future by supporting me in this goal over on my ko-fi page. 1 year of this service costs £165. I have 11 days left of my month-long free trial. I have already uploaded over 100 works to the site.

With your support, I could get my archive off the ground and work smarter rather than harder, and easily share even more of my work with you. I am already hard at work getting my files organised. It has been an overwhelming yet empowering experience. I have a long way to go yet, but I think this is the best tool for moving forward. If you have a spare £3 that would be super helpful. Visit: https://ko-fi.com/meganchapman to help me with this goal. Thanks!

Please show up for yourself. Find your home, your room, your space. Find your folders, create your own system. Ask for help, make it happen. Make your mark. There is room for you here too.

Art in Granton : Exhibition Tonight!

No longer a mystery
Acrylic on canvas
80x100x4cm
© 2019 Megan Chapman

The distance
Acrylic on canvas
40x50x4cm
© 2019 Megan Chapman

Let Go
Acrylic on canvas
40x50x4cm
© 2019 Megan Chapman

Tonight was the opening for the Art in Granton Exhibition at the Granton Hub. It was a local, Granton community-specific exhibition. It was lovely to have work included in a very diverse collection from accomplished artists, hobbyists, and those just learning, all exploring the theme of Granton. Filled with history, local colour, and memories it was a full show and a full house!

Drinks and snacks were had, the rooms of the Hub filled as a cellist filled the air with her beautiful music. It was a lively affair with many sales, with a 20% commission benefiting the Granton Hub. I have to say it was one of the best publicised, lively, and well-attended exhibitions I have been to in Edinburgh. MP Deidre Brock gave an inspired speech along with the organisers as they tried to raise funding for the Hub and shared the rich history of the area. I was proud to be part of it and enjoyed meeting several artists and volunteering my time over the weekend to watch the exhibition.

Don't ever discount your smaller community-based art scenes. Sometimes this is where the heart is as well as the inspiration.