The ship is sailing

but I don't want to stop, work on paper, 2024

Through my love of genealogy, I have learned so much about my family’s place in history and the history of the world. It is meaningful to find the beginnings of one’s strength of character, creativity, moral code, or adventurous spirit embedded in the documents of those who have come before. It is moving to find your place in their words, deeds, and movements across the land and sea. 

Recently, I was looking at ship manifests from 1774. This particular one contained a list of passengers on board Ulysses bound for North Carolina from the Port of Greenock, Scotland. Listed are the passenger names, ages, former place of residence, business, and lastly, the reason for emigrating.

“High Rents and Oppression.”

Listed over and over and over again.

“High Rents and Oppression.”

We all know of the Highland Clearances, and most of us know what happened there and why - but for some reason, to read “High Rents and Oppression” repeatedly in this way hit me a bit harder and differently.

250 years later, the same plight comes crashing down around us, “High Rents and Oppression.”

Workers are struggling to pay their rent. Artists are struggling to pay for their studios.

Buildings that held promise are being left to rot - gap sites of misunderstandings and budget cuts. Yet, there is always money for something new and shining.

And then, the news this week from Creative Scotland regarding The Open Fund for Individuals - the fund that supports artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland would be closing due to the Scottish Government being unable to confirm the funds required.

“High Rents and Oppression.”

I am an artist. I tell stories and express feelings with colour, shape, and form. I watch the world and comment on my place in it. I get to be dramatic, daring, and critical. However, I worry some may think I am being too dramatic or that I am not from here and do not have the right to make such connections. I am from here, and I have returned. I stand rooted in my ancestor’s boots.

And I know that artists are packing up their studios, packing up their lives, and hanging up their brushes and other tools. Their offerings and forms of art are disappearing in front of our eyes.

Ideas float past a heartbroken painter, yet she will not look up and grab them. These ideas will float on and away. The jubilant words you need to hear won’t reach that writer as they push their dreams away. The play, the dance, the song, the film - they continue to fade. They are leaving us now...

A cultural diaspora in the making.

The ship is sailing.

Looking back: Ghosts of the Past

Explore the Scottish diaspora in the United States through my series of limited edition prints from my "Ghosts of the Past" series available exclusively online in my shop. 

This series of paintings dives into Scotland's history and culture as it relates to the Southern United States. Explore genealogy, poetry, and painting to gain a feeling of this moment in time. 

Whether you're Scottish, American, or neither, these paintings explore the immigrant experience and provide you with a unique insight into the lives and stories of those who made their way either through choice or clearance across the Atlantic to begin again.

"You can't make them say the old familiar words their mouths move in different ways"

This limited edition giclée is printed locally using lightfast, archival quality EPSON UltraChrome HDX pigment inks on 310gsm archival smooth cotton rag paper. This print will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Edition of 50  

Each print will be packed with a backing board inside a clear plastic sleeve and then placed inside a non-bendable mailer and shipped with care through the Royal Mail.

Shop

"There is too much space here and always of the wrong kind"

This limited edition giclée is printed locally using lightfast, archival quality EPSON UltraChrome HDX pigment inks on 310gsm archival smooth cotton rag paper. This print will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Edition of 50 

Each print will be packed with a backing board inside a clear plastic sleeve and then placed inside a non-bendable mailer and shipped with care through the Royal Mail.

Shop

"You are of the land you left behind, you built the land that will remain a stranger"

This limited edition giclée is printed locally using lightfast, archival quality EPSON UltraChrome HDX pigment inks on 310gsm archival smooth cotton rag paper. This print will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Edition of 50    

Each print will be packed with a backing board inside a clear plastic sleeve and then placed inside a non-bendable mailer and shipped with care through the Royal Mail.

Shop

"You see the faces of the forgotten and lost as shadows dance around your children" This limited edition giclée is printed locally using lightfast, archival quality EPSON UltraChrome HDX pigment inks on 310gsm archival smooth cotton rag paper. This print will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Edition of 50    

Each print will be packed with a backing board inside a clear plastic sleeve and then placed inside a non-bendable mailer and shipped with care through the Royal Mail.

Shop

Ghosts of the past revisited. Limited edition prints.

 

"You can't make them say the old familiar words their mouths move in different ways"
This is a limited edition, giclée print is on heavyweight archival matte paper (220gsm/81lb) and will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Limited Edition of 50
 Purchase

"There is too much space here and always of the wrong kind"
This is a limited edition, giclée print is on heavyweight archival matte paper (220gsm/81lb) and will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Limited Edition of 50
 Purchase

"You are of the land you left behind, you built the land that will remain a stranger"
This is a limited edition, giclée print is on heavyweight archival matte paper (220gsm/81lb) and will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Limited Edition of 50
 Purchase

"You see the faces of the forgotten and lost as shadows dance around your children" 

This is a limited edition, giclée print is on heavyweight archival matte paper (220gsm/81lb) and will be signed and numbered in pencil. The print is A3 sized/11.7×16.5" Limited Edition of 50

Purchase

This series combines genealogy, poetry, and painting, exploring many aspects of the Scottish diaspora in the United States.

I think of these paintings as giant pages from a weathered picture book of my family’s past. The silhouettes of my Scottish ancestors float across the painted page, while tea and coffee stain the background. The blue represents water, air, and dreams. The map lines connect the figures to their homeland and to each other through time as memories of the past and present haunt and comfort them. A type of poetry bridges the gaps and tells their stories real and imagined. This is my story and theirs but it is also yours and ours...

This is the first time these particular images from this 2013 series have been offered as prints and I am delighted with these A3-sized limited edition reproductions.

I am so thankful for the orders and tips I am receiving just now. 2021 has been much slower for me than 2020 and with fewer grants and less available funding so please know you are making a difference and keeping me going. Thank you! Have a great weekend. - Take care - Megan 

Honey, have I got prints for you!

This week I am excited to present my new limited edition prints! Bringing you more colourful abstracts, bold and minimal selections from the distillation series (as seen on HBO's True Detective), and even work from my Scottish diaspora series are now available! I am focused on creating more ways for you to enjoy and support my work while keeping it affordable, these signed prints range in price from £15-40 and include free shipping in the UK. International shipping available too! Visit my shop and click the prints tab to see them all! https://ko-fi.com/meganchapman/shop

And remember these are printed to order in Scotland by another woman-owned small art business, so you can feel extra good about your purchase as you support not one but two artists! Thank you for stopping by and for supporting my work. Have a great weekend! The world needs you and the gifts you bring. Keep fighting!