I'm dreaming of an artful Christmas

Look at the gorgeous Christmas window at the fabulous Solo Gallery in Innerleithen, Scotland! This really made my week! The window is currently featuring 5 pieces of my work. I'm dreaming of an abstract Christmas...

Solo Gallery was a brand new gallery in the Scottish Borders and opened right before the pandemic struck. Kate, the wonderful gallerist, was excited (and still is) about what she could bring and create there and I was (and still am) so excited to be part of her plans and delighted that she had agreed to take my work. 

Needless to say, everything shut down for extended periods of time and some plans and hopes were dashed. Yet Kate kept on going bringing brilliant art to the borders and she kept showing my work. Happily, she sold a piece of my mine in October. We were both delighted! 

Kate has shown a quiet dedication, flexibility, and tenacity that I find really inspiring. This is no easy task and she could have shipped my work back to me at any time but here we are almost three years later and my work is in the window. Thank you, Kate!

Support Solo Gallery - pop by if you are in the Scottish borders or visit her website to buy fabulous works of art from wherever you may be. 

The window of the gallery looks festive and bright - such a lovely and friendly place to visit

Now let's talk about my wearable collection of eco-friendly t-shirts and totes! From today through Sunday at midnight enjoy free shipping/free post on all orders in the UK. So if you have had your eye on a shirt or tote or need the perfect gift this season, this is a great weekend to save a few pennies. Feel good about supporting my art and the planet at the same time. Shop here: https://gutlessapparel.teemill.com/ 

And that brings us to my exhibition "Divinations, Declarations and Whispers." We are getting close to the final week of the exhibition so if you haven't spent some time yet in the online-only gallery or want to go back and spend some time with your favourites please plan to visit now. The show closes on the night of the 9th of December. Again it has been a real treat to share this body of work with you in this way and I have enjoyed hearing from folks near and far. Share the exhibition with a friend or post the link on social media, then meet up and have a coffee and chat about it. Building community around art is what it is all about for me and I want you to be part of it. https://bit.ly/starlingcampbell

The Starling & Campbell Gallery awaits! 

As I mentioned in a previous post, my building will not be open for open studios this year. Please support my work while you are holiday shopping (or any time) by visiting my ko-fi shop which has a wide variety of mounted small original works as well as prints. I have recently restocked my shop (my prices there range from £20-325). I am always happy to answer more questions, take additional photos, or share videos with you to help with your purchase, and of course, my studio is open by appointment. https://ko-fi.com/meganchapman/shop

This has been a tough year and like so many, I keep going, I keep creating, and I keep sharing because this is what I was born to do. Thank you.

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Selected works now available at the Helensburgh Art Hub

Exciting news for my west coast of Scotland friends and patrons! You can now find a selection of my work at the Helensburgh Art Hub!

Yesterday I sent over a collection of 13 paintings on paper, panel, and canvas in a variety of sizes and prices, ranging from £40- £285.

Do you know what the best part is? When you support my work through the Helensburgh Art Hub, the social enterprise gallery and hub gets a 40% commission supporting their important work in the community.

Feel good while supporting my work as well as all the good they do.

Gallery hours: Wednesday - Friday 11-5pm and Saturday from 10-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm. 

77 West Clyde St. G84 8BB

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!

This Holiday Season - Buy Art!

The Holidays are in full swing now, as today is black Friday. Shoppers are programmed to run out to the mega stores and malls to catch the early morning shopping deals. They will buy all sorts of gadgets, clothes, and various oddities for those on their Christmas lists. There is a frenzy to find that perfect thing, that bargain, that object that shows how much the shopper thought of the person on their list. Shoppers will usually overspend, exhaust themselves, and may not even really enjoy the process that much or be satisfied with the item they end up with. There seems to be a disconnection that happens. It doesn't have to be this way.

Imagine a shopping season where you are able to buy distinctly one of a kind items for your loved ones. An item made by human hands. An item that is the actualization of hours of thought and planning, passion and style. An item that contains a bit of mystery and perhaps some magic. Imagine giving the gift of original art to your loved ones this Christmas. Initially, that idea might sound more expensive, scary, or time consuming. However, there are many easy options for buying affordable, original art these days.

First, shop locally. Avoid the malls and chain stores and go by your local galleries. Many galleries at this time of year are having holiday sales where they have asked their stable of artists to produce smaller, more affordable pieces of work to be on display at this time. Many galleries are more than willing to help you find something within your budget. It is important for you to feel good in the gallery; if you feel any unwelcoming or uppity vibes from a gallery owner or staff, you don't need to shop there. If you have ever felt that somewhere, I apologize for them and I hope it didn't turn you off from the experience of buying art. Please try again. Many galleries will spend considerable time with you and help you really find a great piece of art that meets all of your needs. They should treat you with the same respect whether you are buying a twenty dollar object or a two thousand dollar painting. As in other retail stores, galleries accept credit cards and may even allow you to make payments over time to make the purchase more comfortable.

After you have enjoyed your local or regional galleries, look for a holiday studio sale or a design fair in your area. These are usually warm and friendly events, with a group of artists getting together to have a sale for a weekend. You can find many affordable one of kind items at these sales, and usually meet the artists, all the while having some hot cider and a fresh baked cookie.
Design fairs are popular in larger cities, and the chic craft movement is in full swing around the country; you are guaranteed to find cool stencil art, jewelry, and other modern crafts that are sure to please someone on your Christmas list.

If you are a die hard Internet shopper, then a great site to buy all things handmade is Etsy. If you have not been to this site then you are in for a real treat. Paintings, prints, letterpress items, cards, toys, jewelry... if it is an art or a craft that is hand made, then it is on Etsy. The design sense of the folks that sell their work on Etsy is top notch. The prices are hard to beat as well.

Buying art can be a fun and exhilarating experience, and it is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give. Sweaters may fall out of fashion, housewares fade or break over time, but art keeps giving. Every time, I walk into a room in my home that has original art, I immediately think of the artist. I think of the time they spent creating the piece. I think of their vision and talent. As time passes, I find more and more that I like about the piece. The work keeps revealing more secrets to the story behind it. When you buy art, you directly impact the artist's life as well. You are encouraging that artist. You are saying, "well done." You are saying, "keep going." You are saying "I see and value what you do."

To the person on your list, you are saying "you are so special and unique that only art would do." This holiday season, try buying original art and feel the difference.

"A Glimpse"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Megan Chapman
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