This line tells the truth

good things 

Paper, pen, water, and paint

Dirty brushes in a pretty cup

Early morning light and the sound of rain

Writing letters to the ether with an inky pen
Asking for guidance

Showing up and looking for a friend

Tearful and raw

I get my answers

This paper is more important than anything 

and this line tells the truth

I abandon myself so easily 

But we are speaking again

Like old strangers

Turning the corner with suprise and delight

Our one thousandth homecoming

X

Whether in art or life

Scottish National Portrait Gallery 

So here we are, it's almost the holidays or the festive winter break, Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and whatever else you may celebrate. Perhaps, you enjoy Festivus.

The next two weeks may be quiet and weird with extra heaviness to navigate for some and for some, it will be light, bright, and easy. For many it will be a combination of nostalgia, guilt, religion, and capitalism. I used to like the holidays more - not the shopping part, or the wrapping part, or the logistics in seeing all the people that needed to be seen. I enjoyed the sparkling bits and the magical parts. At some point, things ceased sparkling in the same way and seemed much less magical. And each year since, if I have managed to find the sparkle in some way, it has been a real triumph. And I do manage. I am sitting here in a festive corner of my own design and my sparkly resilience is on full display. I enjoy my rituals and familiar ways of doing things even with certain adjustments.

I used my somewhat dulled creativity to conjure up my festive corner, using mostly what I had on hand to change the look and feel of the space. I enjoy putting things in groups and making it "just so." I probably should have been a set or window dresser or interior decorator. I miss creating spaces and vignettes.

Art is about making things "just so" but in a loose way. So that's what I will endeavour to do, create space and make it just right, whether in art or life. 

I plan to use this time to check in with friends and family, rest, recalibrate, and enjoy the time off from my job. I plan to have a residency of sorts while the world is a bit more quiet and return to my art, which has been a bit sidelined. When I write next week's post (my year end review) you will be curious by what I mean by "sidelined," as it probably won't seem that way to you, but I can be a bit of a task master. 

However you spend your day next Wednesday, I wish you beauty and peace.

Thank you for being here, the world needs you and the gifts you bring. 

This message rode on the wind

And so everything is different now. Book. £150

This week has had a good flow to it for the most part and I am grateful.

I have seen daffodils, primroses, a bud on a rose bush, snowdrops, and crocuses. I even saw some yellow flowers I don't yet know the name of and I saw some faint green high up in the top of a tree. The wind continues to be wild but the light is returning and today it was even quite mild. 

I love hearing the birds start singing at 3am. 

I saw "All of Us Strangers" this week and thought it was a beautiful long-form poem of a film. Highly recommend. I listened to loads of my favourite old music and it could not have sounded better. I went to a couple of charity shops and found some good things. I took a photograph that made me happy. 

This week I enjoyed cooking simple meals, drinking green tea, and reading from a book about Zen with my morning porridge. 

It was one of those weeks. 

But this is an art blog so I suspect you might want to see or hear about some art. Last month, I focused on just 8 paper pieces and some prints. This month, I think I will feature my book series. A series very close to my heart and part of my painting origin story. 

I sold a small book piece at the open studios in December and it reminded me of how important that series is to me. I look forward to sharing it with you again. 

I know you must be tired. Book. £150

It was a pretty good week and many people helped to make it so.

Thank you.

Contemplation, rest, and gratitude

Thank you to all those who have supported me in the past, present, and future. I can't do this without you. You are a vital part of this dance. 

I will see you again next Friday for my 2023 year-end review blog. 

May contemplation and rest find you in the next week.

With love and gratitude, 

Megan 

In the shallows

In the shallows

Mixed media on canvas

80x80cm © 2018 Megan Chapman

Sold

Darkness comes in stages

Mixed media on canvas

30x122cm © 2016 Megan Chapman

Sold

I had the most delightful week of meetups, conversations, connections, sales and so much more... I am so pleased that the two pieces above found their homes this week. This always brings me such joy. You can hear me talk about the process and feelings in my Tuesday Studio Video Visit, below. Thank you for your likes, subscribes, shares, and comments and thank you for sharing in my joy and for supporting my work. It means the world to me.

And while I had a good week, I know many in the world did not. I am thinking of the people of Ukraine. 

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings rejoice in the wellbeing of others.
May all beings live in peace, free from greed and hatred.

Thank you.

Lightness in the dark, sparkly and sweet

It's the morning of Christmas eve and I am awake early in the dark. All my fairy lights are on and I have some Christmas music playing softly in the background. I have a cup of coffee and a shortbread cookie I baked last night. A fitting breakfast. I can hear cars driving along the rainy street outside and the sky is a pale purple. 

What a year and what an end to the year especially. It's been pretty damn hard and frustrating for so many of us. And scary and challenging too. I just want to acknowledge that and thank everyone who has supported my work and my well-being while going through their own heaviness. I see you and appreciate you. 

In this morning's darkness, I celebrate the beauty of nature and the peace that walking gives me and all the new things I have learned and discovered this year, from art to music, and everything in between. I am thankful for family, friends and my community, my beloved cat, patrons, galleries, and for all the opportunities that came along for myself and for the Abstractionistas this year. Of course, I want to thank my fellow Abstractionistas too, for their grit, passion, friendship, and support. 

I will be writing my year-end review blog next Friday, so I don't want to go too deep just now but I do want to start this Christmas weekend with gratitude and appreciation. Thank you for reading this blog.

Wishing you all a beautiful and peaceful holiday weekend. It's not like in the commercials and why would we want it to be? For me, it's about lightness in the dark, sparkly and sweet. Quiet joy and peace, however you find or create it. 

Be well.

Love, 

Megan