Created in its wake

We've been here before

mixed media on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in)

£125

The sun has been out but it has been bitterly cold. The blue sky and the brightness have been a welcome change. It's even staying light well after 4pm. Spring is around the corner (a long way around the corner, but around the corner just the same).

Memory Serves

mixed media on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in)

£125

I took two walks to post three of my works on paper to their new homes in the States and to Glasgow. 

Monday: Post office walk number 1

I enjoyed the sun and even saw my first snowdrops! I gasped out loud when they caught my eye like a long-lost friend, a sort of "what are you doing here!" moment. That pretty much sums me up - I am constantly amazed by the world and nature's beauty. It truly brings me such comfort and joy. Listening to music and walking in nature feed into everything else I do.

Wednesday: Post office walk number 2

It was crisp and cold out, but no snow. I visited an old graveyard on the way home. One of my favourite things to do. I love the old stones covered in lichen. Reading the names, running my hand over the symbols - angels, skulls, and masonic imagery. Always astonished by the dates from so long ago. I walk over the frozen grass looking at the skeleton trees of winter, breathing it all in.

Sequence of webs #3

mixed media on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in)

£125

I would like to walk to the post office again soon. Five works on paper remain. I am enjoying featuring specific works during the month. This will continue, it helps me focus and not get too overwhelmed. I have created a lot of work over my lifetime and during these past 9 plus years in Scotland. Not only have I created it, I have managed it - stored it, moved it, packed it, documented it, and kept up with it. Every time I create something, it feels like a billion-step process is created in its wake. I am becoming more discerning that what I create must warrant all the steps and all the expense and energy.

I am also thinking about what I want and need to say, as well as, how to say it in my future work. This all takes time, so it's a good thing it's still winter. While I ponder it all, I will keep featuring specific bodies of work from my studio. Let me know if you have any questions about these works on paper.

Rebuilding. Sketches for a new tomorrow #3

mixed media on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in)

£125

Sequence of webs #1

mixed media on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (11.69 x 16.54 in)

£125

In other news, a bit of culture I've enjoyed: 

Films: 

Saltburn 

The Holdovers

Television: 

True Love (6-part series on Channel 4)

Music: 

Pictish Trail 

Books: 

Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey 

(just picked this up yesterday - excited to read it)

Thanks for popping by the Studio Blog. I hope you are well, happy, and inspired and if not, tomorrow is another day. Thank you for being here. Keep fighting.

Dream and be too much

I am pretty much already in "holiday mode" or really it could be called taking care of a sick cat mode. I have missed a few studio video visits due to this and honestly, I don't have a lot to say in this blog. Thanks for your patience. Theo seems to have turned a corner and is almost back to his pre (recent) hospitalisation vibe. There is no denying his kidney condition has progressed but he is doing amazingly well and is stable again and I am so relieved and grateful. 

The weather has turned cold, dark, and snowy - so that also encourages a bit of hibernation. So, I am taking the hint (now that I can relax a bit from Theo's recent tribulations). 

You know where all my art is - go look at it or even buy it if you are able. 

But more importantly, listen to music and dance. Take a nap. Do some breathing exercises. Have a cup of hot chocolate, get yourself a gift, give someone your opinions about something you didn't realise you had opinions about, keep yourself guessing, and laugh with a friend. 

Dream and be too much. Yes, please be too much... 

Like these legends. Until next week, keep fighting - you are beautiful. 

Little Edie Beale and Andy Warhol

Could I tell you anything more?

Could I tell you anything more
mixed media on 200gsm acid-free paper
42x59.4cm/16.5x23.4"
©2020 Megan Chapman

What can I tell you now?

I am grateful for the flowers and the honest conversations. 

I am grateful for bowls of soup served on the tables of friends.

I am grateful for the "Just checking in..." and "Hows you?" lighting up my phone. 

I am grateful for the sounds of nature: birdsong, wind, and waves. 

I am grateful for dreams, new ideas, and laughter. 

I am grateful for the tall grass as it dances. 

Oh, what a beautiful world. 

Thank you sun, moon, stars, and music. 

Thank you art, film, and culture. 

Alchemy, magic, and mystery. 

Thank you.