15 Minutes

I had to skip the column last week as I was out of town in Dallas happily seeing Interpol on Thursday night, and then on Friday I had an art opening to attend in Little Rock. My work is currently being featured at the M2 gallery in Little Rock this month. The exhibit is entitled "Best of Northwest." It is a thrill to have my work featured along with several other talented Northwest Arkansas artists such as Nathan Beatty, Sean Fitzgibbon, Christina Mariotti, and L. Eric Smith. It was a wonderful reception and a good time was had by all.

My exhibit at the DDP gallery in Fayetteville has come to a close. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement, it really was a great show. I loved showing my work with Helen Phillips, and working with the DDP gallery owner, Dede Peters. I will look back on the exhibit fondly.

My exhibit entitled "Spellbound" at the Julie Wait Designs gallery is currently up in Rogers, Arkansas until October 19th. If you have not made it out to a third Friday art walk in historic downtown Rogers, I recommend it.There is music, food, and art, not to mention the beautiful old architecture of an historic downtown.

Today, I would like to get back on track with some hints, help, and advice to other artists out there, as this is the reason I started this studio blog in the first place. I want to talk about self sabotage, self censorship, and other negative garbage artists fall prey too.

Does this sound familiar?

I need to paint(or add your medium here), but something stops me from climbing the stairs to my humble studio oasis. I need to get my art finances organized, and inventory up to date, and thank you cards in the mail, but I am frozen in time. I need to write my blog, update my website, and do some research on some new galleries, but I am not quite getting to it. Something creeps in between me and my purpose and my passion.

Sometimes when we first find our passion nothing seems to get in our way, nothing can pull us from it, and we take this as a sign that we have found our true calling. Right now, I find I am dreaming again and all the time. I am dreaming about the future, and I ache for it to be my reality. Then I snap out of the dream to realize that I am not getting anything done in the here and now, and if I really ache for my dreams to be my reality, then I really need to get to work.

As a working artist, my schedule is fairly open and flexible. I know that I am a person who works best with some structure but at the same time it can't be too rigid or I will rebel and do nothing, and then fail at my over ordered schedule and feel miserable about it. So, I know it is always a careful balancing act. I am betting it is this way for some of you too.

When I find the dreaming is taking me into the clouds and the painting studio is not seeing enough of me, and sleep is such a good escape, it is time to make some small changes towards action. I am going to share a few of the action tricks that work for me. Some of these I have read, some of these friends have shared with me and others just came about organically. Perhaps, they will be helpful to you as well, when you are in need of a kind and reasonable form of action, to get you out of the clouds and back in the game.

First, a dear friend of mine told me the other day to just "shoot for good, not perfect" and I have been coming back to this again and again. How many times in the day are you shooting for perfect and feeling bad about yourself? You could have just shot for good, and felt okay and know that you are making some progress. I think a lot of creative types battle with this. We want to impress, we want to make something so amazing and original, we want to always show our newest and best work, we want to be at every art event we can as we build our reputation, and we may want to please others. If you don't suffer from any of this "pleasing or perfectionism" stuff, then I hope you will share your secrets with me. At the same time that these behaviors or beliefs can be stifle ones creative juices, they can also stoke them- so again the balancing act is necessary.

Another roadblock to your creativity might be time, or your lack of it. You might finally get to work and be creating, and that little voice might rise up within, and tell you to give up, that you really don't have enough time to really work on or explore anything of any real substance. The chores suddenly seem more important, the voice says you are being selfish for taking this time away from your family, spouse or dog to be in your own little world creating. Or maybe you think you need a whole large block of time before you to even attempt to work.

Well, I am here to tell you that amazing things can happen in 15 minutes. I use this method a lot. I will set my timer for 15 minutes and just start something I am putting off, and make it a game. You can use this to get all those chores done and then paint with a clear conscience, or you can use it to start some work in your studio. If you haven't been in your studio in awhile. Just go hang out in there for 15 minutes one day, then maybe the next time go clean it up for 15minutes, then the next day perhaps just a splash of paint on a canvas. By the end of the week you will have worked 1 hour and 45 minutes in quick and painless sessions, and since you know that you are now trying to be good and not perfect, you also know that you are now moving towards your goals. Creating something, is much better than nothing for the week.

From personal experience, starting something is the hardest part, once you do 15 minutes you most likely will continue the session if time allows. Also, about that "guilt voice" that says you are being indulgent or taking time away from the family, friends, or pets. I know that when I create I am a better person. I am a more free and content person, and feel so much better about myself and the world that my family will thank me for taking that indulgent time and I bet yours will too.

Okay, so you are now in the studio, the chores are done, you finally have the time, and then the self sabotaging voice comes on strong and says "what can you do that hasn't been done already, and since there is nothing new that you can do, what is the point in trying." Voices like, "this is too different from what my clients expect from me," or "this will never sell." Well, this can be a hard one. First, I will say, it happens to the best of us and you are not alone. Try not to be so hard on yourself. Remember the idea that you are special because you are an individual and no one else in the world is quite like you, so all the work you create is unique like you. There is a type of collective unconscious that the art community has, we do recycle and reform and reclaim ideas that have been used before, but we add and explore them further and make them our own eventually.

Only you can create your work, and that is pretty amazing, so tell that voice to pipe down unless you are totally ripping someone off... The voices that come about pleasing clients or creating something that won't sell must be silenced too. Clients expect and hope that the artists they admire will keep growing and exploring, they really don't want you to stay stuck in a people pleasing rut, so break out and have fun. Your clients will come along for the ride for the most part. Some art isn't meant to be sold, or even shown. Sometimes you just want to work, and play and grow, this time may then translate into the work that you will show and sell in the future. Keep this is mind.

Being a working artist is challenging enough, stop trying to make it harder for yourself. Dispense with the guilt, people pleasing, and self censorship, it will only drive you crazy and stop you from sharing the purpose and passion that I know is boiling up within you. I want to leave you with a few famous artist's quotes on the subject.

Diego Rivera, "I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious." ( I was glad to come across this, and I have to agree with him- so perhaps I will take that nap after all...)

Andrew Wyeth, "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

Scott Adams, "A lot of it's experimental, spontaneous. It's about knocking about in the studio and bumping into things."

See my painting "Something Once Before" at the M2 gallery
Pleasant Ridge Town Center
11525 Cantrell Road
Little Rock, Arkansas
501.225.6257
Open: M-Th. 10-8pm and Sat. 10-9

"Best of Northwest" Works by Megan Chapman, Nathan Beatty, Sean Fitzgibbon, Christina Marioti, and L. Eric Smith on display through October at the M2 gallery.

Art Amiss VII Recap

A few brief notes before I delve into my review of Art Amiss VII:

First, I will be having a reception tonight, Friday, September 21st for my latest exhibit, "Spellbound" at the Julie Wait Designs Gallery in Rogers, Arkansas from 5-8pm as part of the Rogers Twilight Art walk. I am looking forward to being there and talking with folks about my work. This exhibit will include 17 recent works, many of which debuted at the Mullins Library at the University of Arkansas earlier this summer (so if you missed that show, please come to Julie Wait Designs) there will also be several new smaller works in the exhibit as well. "Spellbound" will be up until October 19th.

I am thrilled to be showing at the Julie Wait Designs Gallery, I had the pleasure of working with them last fall and was so excited when six of my paintings were chosen by them to be placed in the President and Vice President's offices of the Legacy National Bank headquarters in Springdale. Naturally, I was pleased when they asked me to show in their gallery. So, come on out to Rogers tonight!

Second, the exhibit "Intuition" with my paintings and Helen Phillips ceramics work will be coming to a close on September 29th. So if you haven't seen it yet, please try to stop by the DDP gallery soon, and of course spread the word. I am very pleased with the response my work has received, so far six pieces have sold, but there are still many lovely pieces that are deserving of a good home or business.

Alright, now back to Art Amiss VII, the event was held last night at the Dickson Street Theatre in Fayetteville.It is so impressive to think that seven of these events have now taken place over the years and they just get better and better. Art Amiss is an impassioned event that captures all mediums of visual art as well as fashion, jewelry, music, movies, and writing-it really is a multimedia extravaganza. The $5.00 cover charge was well worth it and included a free chapbook and CD sampler of some of Fayetteville's local bands.

The event seemed to flow well, and early in the night there was great music at an easy volume to allow the art to really be viewed and nicely accentuated by the music. The artists who were near their work were easily able to be heard while discussing their process. Later in the night the volume was cranked up a notch or two and it was a fun scene.

After I looked at everything on the main floor, I dashed upstairs where the bulk of the visual art was presented, and instantly fell in love with Ginny Sims pottery. Ginny was right there with her work, very approachable and easy to talk with. I really like the solid quality of her work, along with the poetic "decals" of black and white graphics and words fused into her pottery. It was this that really made her work speak to me. There were small houses that could sit on their own, or be placed to hang on the wall. Her chic collection consisted of espresso cups and saucers, plates, salad plates, large platters, and tumblers as well as other functional items, and of course the collection of houses. I really appreciated her ascetic, the Terra cotta clay was glazed in a milky white and then sometimes colored with faint greens, peaches, or a shot of gold to accent the stark black and white images and words. The President of Art Amiss, Robin Atkinson said Ginny's work should be called "Hottery" and I concur. I will look forward to seeing more of Ginny Sims work in the future.

Another stand out for me last night was Greg Moore. His large painting of Assata Shakur caught my eye, and commanded the attention of the room even when placed high over a stairwell. Smartly the artist placed a pamphlet that included a commentary by Mos Def about Assata Shakur, so that we could understand her and learn about her plight.

Greg Moore's war resister series is equally stirring, and I am impressed that he uses his talent to also express his political views, as well as to educate the viewer. His style of painting is bold and painterly with great use of color. For me, his paintings have a slight R. Crumb quality to them that I enjoy without the exaggeration or comic quality. I wish Greg Moore only the best, and look forward to seeing more of his work out in the public eye soon.

I really enjoyed the movies viewed at Art Amiss last night, as it was held outside in the parking lot next door, just that new element gave it an exciting feeling to me, there is nothing quite like sitting outside with the moon peeking through the trees above watching short Indie films. I loved it. There was a nice mix of mystery, ironic comedy, and nostalgia ( Sarah K. Moore's beautiful films always make me want to cry and go back in time- and that is a good thing).

There were many other wonderful artists presenting work last night, and unfortunately I can't mention them all. I was impressed with the overall quality and quantity of the work, and enjoyed the evening. It was full of energy and excitement. I think Art Amiss is an amazing event, and everyone that participated, should feel really proud. The fashion show was fun, the music was great, movies enjoyed and art was being sold- Congratulations to all involved. Thank you for the energy, spunk, and spark you consistently bring to Fayetteville's art scene.


See my painting "Lovely Upheaval" at the DDP gallery
7 East Mountain St. Fayetteville.
Open: W-F 12-7 and Sat. 10-5
and by appointment.

"Intuition" Works by Megan Chapman and Helen Phillips
August 15- September 29 2007

Interpol - No I In Threesome

A simple dose of beauty and inspiration.

Now read the post below about creating a sense of community and identity for artists in our town and give me your two cents on how it can be done in the comments! Thanks.

All fired up...

Today, I was driving home and a more obscure Clash song, "Ivan meets GI Joe" from their album Sandinista came on the radio, and I was overjoyed. It isn't one of my favorite songs but it still got me excited and then I starting to wonder why I felt that way.

First, the song is catchy. Second, the Clash will always be towards the top of my list. Third, the song is not the usual fodder for the college radio station, as the track is from an album from 1980. The real reason behind my joy...is that listening to that song on the radio gives me a sense of identity and community.

Okay... so what am I talking about?

There are artists in my town and probably your town too who are searching for a sense of identity and community, and they are having a hard time finding it. I live in a nice town, with a University, an arts center, a few galleries, and occasionally, many art events. Culture is touted as a amenity here. We have the Arts festival, Art Market, Art Amiss, BFA & MFA students, professional artists, gallery owners, a few arts collectives, and art lovers all here in this nice little melting pot, but somehow we aren't always melting.

Over the years, there have been meetings of the minds, ideas for studio spaces, and valiant attempts at promoting the arts and culture in this town. Some of us get involved when we can, and some complain about what is not here and yet do nothing. Some of us do both. Then, some of us are on the fringe and don't know about the meetings, or the groups that are trying to do something. Some of us keep our mouths shut as not to offend.

Well, I say enough! There has got to be a grass roots way to get us out of our homes, studios, sometimes cliquish events, and get us together in the same room talking about what we really need and want for ourselves and each other as artists.

I am talking about getting together for fun and community. Of course, not all groups of people are going to get along. Unfortunately, some people are going to think someone doesn't belong in the mix. Labels will be thrown around- crafts, quilts, pottery, fine art, abstract, installation, amateur, - there will be no pleasing all for sure. We all have our styles and our personalities. I still think we need to know one another and be aware of each other's work and aspirations.

My ultimate desire, is that I can keep doing what I am doing, making, showing, selling, and talking about art. However, I want to do that with a vibrant community of artists, talking together, sharing our successes and failures, obstacles, and desires. I want to be a part of an inclusive and connected group of proactive artists.

Anyone want to get together and talk about making art? This means you!

See "Subterranean" at the DDP gallery
7 East Mountain St. Fayetteville.
Open: W-F 12-7 and Sat. 10-5
and by appointment.

"Intuition" Works by Megan Chapman and Helen Phillips
August 15- September 29 2007

Art Festival Roundup

The visual arts part of the festival has come and gone. Last weekend was a huge success for all involved. Congratulations to all the organizers, artists, gallery owners, sponsors, and volunteers.

I just wanted to do a quick weekend round up as I promised. Don't miss this weekend's Art festival offerings which will be geared towards theatre , dance, writing, and music.

First off, the Art Festival in the Town Center seems to get better and better. All the booths were good and filled with excited and knowledgeable artists ready to chat. Several of the booths stood out in my mind. I have to say again that Ben Strawn is my hero - basically selling out his booth, almost immediately. His work is fantastic, and his set up was lovely- I wish him nothing but more success and prosperity, his work is phenomenal.

Other booths that really caught my eye - Cindy Arsaga with her beautiful encaustic paintings - some pieces had such deep rich colors, her work gave me a sense that autumn is indeed coming. I am loving the colored circles that are now floating on the surface of her work, it is a pleasing design element. Speaking of encaustic work, James Kunzelmann's work was also great, and I overheard the artist telling people about the encaustic process as well, which is always helpful. People love information about the different art forms, and mediums. I am particularly fond of his gold fish paintings. I love how the fish fill the square in the middle of the piece and then are usually "framed" out by a lovely color. The texture is always nice in his pieces as well. Don House, is always a hometown favorite, the work he exhibited this year made with a 35mm range finder camera, and printed with the full frame negative seemed filled with a new energy and excitement. I really enjoyed his work. Don Nibert's pottery was glorious and the bases of found metal that he puts together are a beautiful way to present his work. Trent Tally's work is always incredible, and I hope he remains a staple of the festival. Haley Duke provided some freshness, funk, and kick to this year's festival. I think people really enjoyed her booth and the pure creative force she brings with her. Keith Miller was another kick to the festival with his large scale mysterious drawings, I am glad that he did well at the festival as well as winning an award for best 2 -D. I had to go back a couple of different times to the Art Festival to take it all in, and I think that is what is nice about offering the festival on two days, so you don't have to absorb it all in one day. I look forward to seeing next year's festival offerings...

The mill district offerings were a nice selection of whimsy, handmade goods, high art, and music and fun. It was getting hot by the time I made my way there, but I think the people who ventured out to see the artists were richly rewarded. Stand outs for me there were Doug Randall's beautiful paintings, and Tonya Tubbs magnet dolls. It was my first time to go into the Little Mountain Bindery/The New design studio and that was a treat- all the lovely papers on display and sale. I wish them all much success, as they do provide much needed supplies, and classes. Then it was on to the Art Experience where JoAnn Kaminsky's work was on display.
That was a nice respite, to sink down in a couch and just be calm and surrounded by all JoAnn's puppets, masks, and other art work. The Art Experience is a very comfortable place to be.
Then we moved on down the road to Hank Kaminsky's large studio, and talked with him about his new work, and his process. If you have never seen his studio or really talked with him about the process involved in his work, I highly recommend it. I appreciate his work in a whole new way now, and am amazed at his talent and dedication to his art.

I also enjoyed checking in with the DDP gallery, to see if the crowds were making their way to the gallery as well. We had some steady traffic on Saturday and not quite as much on Sunday, but we had many people to talk with about mine and Helen Phillips' work, so that was a thrill.
The exhibit will be up until Sept 29, so be sure not to miss it and tell your friends...

Saturday night was all about the third installment of Art Market. It was in the Parrish hall of the St. Paul's Church, the location was great, just a quick walk down the street from the DDP gallery/square and we were there. I wasn't sure how they would be able to turn the huge space into a gallery, but they did it. They had designed freestanding walls with lights on top that were beautifully constructed and added a nice architectural element to the space. All the artists had plenty of space to show their work, and no one got a bad spot, so that was impressive.
The selection of work was good, several works stood out to me, I loved Justin Bondi's aluminum sculpture, and they way it was presented was perfect. Matthew Lyman's alphabet series was a huge hit, with its smart design sense and color scheme. He paints the letters of the alphabet on the backs of old books and other common objects, with an illustration to go along with the letter.
Beth Post's paintings also stood out, as they were impeccably painted, with arms and legs of the subject hanging out of the frame while painted birds flew around causing distress for the subject.
Art Market seemed to be as successful as ever, I will be interested to see where the next show will be held and what talent will be called up for the next installment. It is a great idea, and I look forward to many more Art Market events.

So that does it. Again congratulations to everyone who participated, organized, volunteered, and sponsored these art events. It was a successful weekend. Here's to many more successful events, shows, galleries, and opportunities for artists. Imagine if we had events like this all the time...

See " Within Your Reach " pictured above, by Megan Chapman at the DDP gallery
located at 7 East Mountain St. Fayetteville.
Open: W-F 12-7 and Sat. 10-5 and by appointment,

"Intuition" Works by Megan Chapman and Helen Phillips
August 15- September 29 2007

Buy Local!

Thank you to everyone who came out last night to see my and Helen Phillips' opening at the DDP gallery. I was delighted with the turn out, and I was honored to be able to share my art and stories about my art with you all face to face. If you saw the show and you know someone who might also enjoy the work, please let your friends, family, and co-workers know about the exhibit and the DDP gallery in Fayetteville. It is such a wonderful space, and we are fortunate to have it in our community. This marks the DDP gallery's one year anniversary as well. Dede Peters is to be commended for taking such a personal risk; running an art gallery is no easy task. She sticks her neck out everyday due to her love and appreciation of art, so that we may all come together and enjoy it. Please support this gallery and Arkansas artists.

With the growth of our region and the influx of people coming from more cosmopolitan locations, it is important that they know that Arkansas' small cities have wonderful galleries; galleries filled with the same talent and passion as they would expect to find in bigger cities, and sometimes with works of art at a fraction of the cost. Just like we strive to buy local goods, to help our local economy and environment, we should also strive to support our local galleries and artists.

I will be around at most of the art festivities during the weekend and I hope to see you out too! I plan to do a weekend round up after all the events. Enjoy!

See " Distance Learning" pictured above, as well as other new works by Megan Chapman at the DDP gallery
located at 7 East Mountain St. Fayetteville.
Open: W-F 12-7 and Sat. 10-5 and by appointment,
with extended hours of 11-4 on Sunday during the festival weekend.

"Intuition" Works by Megan Chapman and Helen Phillips
August 15- September 29 2007

Art is everywhere and all at once.

Today's blog is going to be a run down of art events in Fayetteville that are going on now, and in the next week. I am excited about all the buzz surrounding the Fayetteville Arts Festival, the third installment of the much anticipated Art Market, and of course Intuition at the DDP gallery with new paintings by myself and ceramic works by Helen Phillips. I must also mention the stellar photography exhibit "Just the other side of nowhere..." by Henry Turner at Ozark Natural Foods.

Since this is my blog, I want to give you my take on what to watch for at these exhibits...

First off, Henry Turner's photography exhibit is about to come to a close, so hit it first if you haven't already, it is only up until the end of the month. His 12x12" composite photographs of old houses, buildings, fields, and flora are mounted on birch boxes. These photographs have an aching quality that I am drawn to. The photographs appear vintage or distressed yet the way they are presented on the birch boxes is modern and clean-I love the juxtaposition. Henry participated in the last Art Market event; it was his first showing of this series and they were an immediate hit. He sold 8 pieces that night, and was then asked to show his work in Ft. Smith and he sold many works during that show as well. These are truly lovely works of art, don't miss this exhibit! "Just the other side of nowhere..." will be up for the short remainder of August at Ozark Natural Foods.

Intuition: Paintings by Megan Chapman and Ceramic Works by Helen Phillips at the DDP Gallery, This exhibit consists of 20 new abstract paintings by myself and the beautifully mysterious ceramic work of Helen Phillips. The opening reception will be Thursday Aug 30th from 5-8 and both Helen and myself will be there. We look forward to meeting you and talking about our work. The DDP gallery will also have extended hours during the festival weekend. The DDP will be open as usual on Friday from 12-7pm ( so you might consider popping in before the open space art party that night) and Saturday the hours will be 10-5 and Sunday 11-4.

The Fayetteville Arts Festival is back again, conveniently located at The Town Center on the square - August 31-Sept 2, for the visual arts, music and writing part and then again the following weekend Sept 7-9 for all the other wonderful art forms. On Friday night the 31st at the Open Space Art party, you get to help support the festival by buying a $50 ticket, and a chance to meet the artists, getting first dibs on their art while you eat good food and listen to music and watch performances before the festival really kicks off on Saturday. Then the festival kicks into high gear on Saturday and Sunday. It looks like an impressive group of artists have been selected into this year's festival. I am especially looking forward to new works by Ben Strawn. The festival is sure to please, as there will be something at the festival for everyone.

Last but certainly not least, Art Market is being held on September 1, from 5-10pm at the Parish hall at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Dickson and East Street. Jason Howell-Smith and Basil Seymour-Davies know how to put on a great exhibit. Art Market is a solid event and a sure thing. I love this concept, and I love the work that comes with this show. I participated in the first Art Market and it was one of the most exciting shows I have been a part of. I love the immediacy of it, the transformation of the space into an art gallery, and the crowds are phenomenal. The cross section of artists who participate in this event are top notch, exciting and hungry - exploring different mediums with passion and zeal. Art Market is a true asset to the community, and the artists it exhibits. Please support this event and the emerging and established talent that will be participating.

Creating art is as important for those who make it, as it is for those who view and enjoy it. Artists are a vital asset to any community. We are lucky to have this growing enthusiasm and support for the arts in our town, and to be able to showcase some of the talent that resides here. Prepare to be inspired and feel a palpable excitement as the art community comes alive.
See you there!

See " Swept in and Away" pictured above, as well as other new works by Megan Chapman at the DDP gallery
located at 7 East Mountain St. Fayetteville.
Open: W-F 12-7 and Sat. 10-5 and by appointment,
with extended hours during the festival weekend.

"Intuition" Works by Megan Chapman and Helen Phillips
August 15- September 29 2007

Join us for the opening :
Aug 30th 5-8pm