Better late than never...

Running a bit behind on my blog.

Matters of Consequence, an exhibition I curated featuring the work of Christopher Baber and Michael Shaeffer and their collaborative work as Pedigree, opened on Thursday night in the Revolver gallery in the Fayetteville Underground. I feel it was a great success, and I hope the guys will sell even more works as the show remains up until Jan 30th.

Here is a video of that show:

In other news, Wade Ogle's latest CD, Lovers and Fighters is about to debut and I was thrilled when he wanted to use two of my photographs for inside the CD insert. I am quite pleased with how the project turned out and Wade's new album is great too. Click here to learn more about where you can order a copy. You can also listen to Wade's music here.


And yet in other news, ddp gallery is having her Salon 1 exhibition currently until the end of the month, where you can find many of the artists that she represents, all on the gallery walls together. It is a dynamic mix and you can find a wide range of my work on display. Here is an image from that exhibition.

And besides that, I have been working on three works in progress, and they are all white.. What!?!? White.. Yeah, you heard me.. We will see..

Oh yeah and one last thing the small and miniature show was held over until the end of January at the Aaron gallery in Washington D.C. due to the bad weather they had in December. So, if you live near there please go check it out.

This week it is going to be about painting, music, painting, and not much else... I hope you all are well.

Thanks for checking in.

To a place I have missed...

There is a sensation that jolts my brain and makes the gears up there turn quickly and my heart beat faster. It comes from a spark, an urgency, a need to express something unnamed. It is the thrill I felt when I told my stories with my books in 1999 or spent hours in the darkroom that one semester. I have alluded to this feeling and time in previous posts, always as a past memory. This week I have been fortunate to feel it again in the present.

For the last few days I have been telling a story in photographs on blipfoto and each day a new image is created on the spot and this thrills me to no end. This has been a multi-leveled experience for me as I merge pieces of my past, my childhood and family with ideas from painting, films and spontaneous play. All of this coming together to take me somewhere I have never been. It feels like a warm current pulsing through my skin when I even think about this. I have been completely outside of myself, creating a new world and characters. The usual sensibilities of my usual brain have been safely thrown out. In this story I can be anyone or anything, I can assume a character, a place, a time period or even an idea. The people that view the story are very much included in this process as they bring their own back story and spontaneous ideas into the mix.

I am not a photographer and that in itself is wonderful and freeing.
I am simply going on adventure to a place I have missed.

Today I want to take you there as well...


The Ocean's Story...
Here's where the story ends...



And this is where it starts...

It is quiet like a library
let's just hide behind the stacks for a while
and see what happens...

In between days...

Sh... no words are needed now..
We just wait.
We now have the key to the outside
but are we willing to use it?

Intermission...

We used the key
We went outside
We found a house
and here we are
listening to sounds...

Underwater...

We found a bed
We slept for days
We grabbed our things in a hurry
We forgot the key...
and the music keeps playing.

We should not have looked back...

We kept running all night.
and here we are again
but a page has been turned
the flowers have wilted
and what is there in the coarse salt of the ocean?

but a tiny key...



all images © megan chapman 2009
click on images to view them larger

A Promise...

Well, it is the first Friday of April, and I told you I would be back so here I am. It feels very much like the very first day I started my studio blog in April of 2007. It was sunny, I had my headphones on and I had no idea what I was going to write. I actually wrote it mid morning or mid day on Friday rather than Thursday night, and afterward I would feel such a sense of accomplishment I would reward myself by going out to celebrate.

So here we are. I had planned to do many things while I was "away" and I accomplished some of them, and it was surprising to me how little I thought about this blog or posting when it had become such a routine and ritual in my life. So, I think that means it was very important for me to take a break when I did.

I'll catch you up briefly...
My last show Selective Evidence at the ddp gallery in Fayetteville was a huge success. I sold 8 paintings in 2.5 weeks, and people seemed really interested in my process and work since my studio was set up in the gallery. I really enjoyed painting somewhere outside my home and getting instant feedback on my work. 2 pieces sold that were still wet! It was a thrill and encouraged and inspired me greatly. Thank you Fayetteville- you've been good to me.

In other news, I was just asked to come speak to a group of artists by a local art club this summer, so I will be giving a presentation on my work and process and will even get paid for my time! I am very excited about this upcoming opportunity.

I have also been enjoying exploring my hobby of photography on blipfoto.com on Blip foto the goal is to take and post a photo each day on the day. I really like the simplicity of the site and the feedback I receive as well. If you enjoy photography, and want a simple goal of taking a photo a day, you might enjoy the site- I know I have. It is a great relief to have some form of creative expression even when I can't get into the studio and paint.

I still have not updated my small works in my Etsy shop- and that is a high priority. I will let you all know when there are new things to look at there.

So that is what I have been doing the last month, painting, seeing art and music, making photographs, day dreaming, selling art, and planning my next move in the game.

See you next Friday with something new to discuss.
I hope you all have been well with dreams.

PS. If you enjoy my photograph "A Promise" posted above, click on it (for full resolution)and then right click to download it and print it up- It is my gift to you. Enjoy!


A promise © 2009 Megan Chapman