Artist Meghan Howland Paintings
Biography
Meghan Howland was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts , and grew up in Kingston, New Hampshire . “This is a rural area full of fog. There is nothing to do here and the child has enough fun to explore or sketch the surroundings, ”the artist recalls.
Meghan had wanted to be an artist since she was eight and was going to work for Disney as an animator. To achieve her dream, she drew a short story in pictures, which her mother animated and sent to Disney. The studio replied that the child will need artistic skills first. “Okay, looks like we’ll find an art school for you,” Megan's mother reacted. “My family has always supported me, which is of great importance,” the artist comments. So Megan graduated from the Study Abroad Program 2007 - Florence, Italy and received a Bachelor of Arts (BFA) from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In 2017, she received her own Master of Arts in Arts (MFA) from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia, PA).
After completing her bachelor's degree, Meghan moved to Portland, Maine, a rather eccentric city founded by the artist's ancestor, John Howland (1592-1672). “This is a very funny story. He walked over to the Mayflower — he's the one who fell overboard. Howlands are traditionally weird, ”says Megan.
Eventually, it was John Howland who was sent by Governor William Bradford to establish a hunting and trap post in the forests of Maine on the Penobscot River. However, the only artist in the family before Megan was her great-great-grandfather, Russell Langley. “During the First World War, he worked by profession. Instead of fighting, his task was to paint battle scenes at the front and send them to Washington. And he survived! " - says the artist.
Well, the phrase "Resurgam" became the motto of Portland because it burned down and rebuilt four times after devastating fires. The city seal also features a phoenix rising from the ashes. But this was not the reason for our heroine to settle in this place.
Since childhood, Megan was drawn to live in Maine, where she often went to visit relatives in the summer.
“I like the local energy and people. It's not as hectic here as in New York ... it's quieter here, but everyone is doing something or busy with something. There is a really amazing art scene here, especially the music scene. It's also great to live two blocks from the ocean, ”Megan says of Portland.
But calling this city home allowed the opportunity to create and find an echo in the hearts of local residents. “For me, it was the perfect place to explore creative ideas and develop a sense of oneness with those ideas, be it visual art or music. Everything turned out so favorably, but I find the locals sincere, honest and interesting. I love it when I fit into these communities in this way. This place is also located geographically, because you can be closer to nature without being isolated from the city ”- comments the artist.
It is the consonance with the outside world that helps Megan create, subtly feel and convey the emotional states of the people around her, which she splashes onto her canvases.
In this regard, the artist's creative credo does not sound strange either. “Being creatively humble is a part of an artist's life for me. Being creative is who you are, ”says Megan, who once worked for Coffee By Design as a barista and before coming to Portland also worked in landscaping and ran a small art store.
Now, Megan Howland's paintings are sold in galleries at prices ranging from $ 1,000 to $ 15,000. She receives commissions to paint portraits, has a small studio at the Mayo Street Arts Center, and has collaborated on fabric design with the Marchesa fashion house (New York).
Meghan considers it a problem for the modern world to sacrifice aesthetics for convenience. She is engaged in hand-painted commercial signage. “I just love it - the writing of the sign brings the newness of the old thing, but also pays homage to the past. This is why I love oil paint. Some people say the oil painting is dead, but it’s not, ”she explains.
Creative Identity
Symbolic Images
The artist's paintings seem fabulous, but at the same time they carry something dissonant. The viewer stands at a crossroads before the question of the meaning of what he saw: dangerous or safe, loved or hated. Such ambiguous situations or moods allow the viewer to decide for himself what story unfolds on the canvas, creating in front of him an endless range of emotions and possibilities.
The symbolic images of birds, flowers, thoughtful and sometimes unnatural poses of the characters make the canvases even more mysterious, but at the same time, pristine, like nature.
“I am drawn to nature, so my paintings usually depict birds or plants,” explains the artist.
Some consider the images of birds to be very ominous or referring to Carlos Castaneda. “These images do not mean evil at all. I combine the chaos of nature with the stories of people. "
Megan admits that when she started painting pictures with these motives, she definitely did not think about Hitchcock. “The paintings depicting birds are not really about birds. Birds, for the most part, convey the tension that is created by combining them with a still, unflappable portrait. It seems impossible when you start thinking, but I feel it is more natural for people to react. At first I used birds, because at that time they were a talisman for me. I wanted the face of the depicted person to look confused in the arms of the birds, rather than it seemed that the birds were attacking him. The moments that I chose for the image are important both in what I show and explain, and in what I do not show and explain. It ignites the imagination, which is much more powerful, than telling a single story. Imagination can take something away for you from this amazing moment - the artist mysteriously comments. - I want the audience to take away with them just a connection with people. What the viewer feels about the image and the created mood of the canvas: sympathy or negativity, fear or a sense of beauty - it's up to him, not me. I'm trying to get something that seems urgent and important to me. "
Personal history
At times it seems that the pictures depict fragments of one big story. Megan explains: “If this were true, then this story would be my own life and the people who fill it. As I said, all the pieces are pretty personal, but I find that the things that capture the canvases tend to be pretty versatile. I am trying to use this balance.
Most of the paintings depict people or objects that are constantly around me. These are definitely personal works that represent a special kind of documenting my life. "
Apparently, therefore, she draws her inspiration from everywhere.
Emotional portraits of the struggle for harmony with the outside world
So, symbols do not play a decisive role in the artist's painting. “I rarely use strict metaphors and themes as a starting point,” she explains. “Instead, I let the image come to me organically. For me, painting is the perception of information and the visual reaction to it. While working on my work, I think a lot about human spirituality and nature, I study a lot about the relationship of people with other organisms, both enlightening and terrifying. There is always such a struggle for balance. I read quite a lot of both poetry and scientific magazines, listen to a lot of podcasts. The melancholy or mild anxiety that is present in my work is the result of reactions to some of the most ridiculous aspects of our current society. I want my paintings to function as complex emotional portraits of our condition,
Painting TechniqueDevelopment
Megan did not come to her painting technique right away. “I painted from nature, starting with landscapes. I started painting pictures in one go. If it rained, I would install a tarp. Now I usually work from photographs, ”she admits.
Messy oil
Megan's favorite material, oil paint, has a significant impact on painting technique. “Oil paint can be shiny, transparent and textured, or, if you wish, dirty and thin,” the artist relishes. - I definitely get the thrill of adding or removing elements of a painting, or when sometimes accidentally getting elements of a painting that become the right artistic decision. If in the work on the painting I get a chaotic or chaotic result, then it is easier for me to let go of the creative tension that has arisen in connection with this and the required rethinking. For this reason, in my studio there are paintings that will probably never see the light of the above problems, but they were all part of the creative process. Maybe I will return to these works again as soon as the answer to the unresolved creative problems comes to me.
The birth of an image
According to Megan, it all starts with a drawing that is not taken from her imagination. “I use close friends and family as models for my work and, in fact, create their image as close to my sketch as possible, always being open to change. I like to draw people from nature, if possible, and then turn to photography if I need it. Other elements in the picture are placed or projected in one way or another already onto the human figure and are taken mainly from photographs that I have found or taken. But the picture can change in many ways from the original design. Sometimes I paint entire areas or create spaces that were never originally planned. I like the idea of leaving spaces in the painting open to change and letting the painting tell me what to do. I like not knowing exactly how
Often, the artist's paintings demonstrate an elusive complexity and balance. Depending on the specific work, these images appear in the imagination or are a consequence of the fact that the conceived idea or scene unfolds during the creation of the picture. “Sometimes I see images in my head, and the finished picture is pretty close to the idea. In other cases, the picture is entirely a struggle, and the image slowly, as if with persuasion, emerges from the darkness, says Megan. - Speaking about the result, we are really talking about finding a balance. The result cannot be calculated or planned in advance, but you know it and feel that you have achieved the desired result when you see the image. Reflecting on what I paint in my paintings gives me the feeling that the physical action that makes me create works by moving forward and going backwards,
I like to instill a certain mood in the paintings. I don't think it was my intention to leave any direct and clear message in the works. I think that in my work, communication is important for me without a lot of words or explanations. There is strength in this. "
Before the birth of the image
Before starting work, Megan draws and writes a lot, realizing that these are just sketches, the task of which is, basically, to remind her of the idea before working on the painting. “To anyone who would open my sketchbook, it would look complete nonsense,” she admits. To understand any aspect, many small pictures are written. “For example, I wrote the series 'Studies of Light' to understand what the old masters meant. This obsessive practice is definitely reflected in my main paintings, ”says the artist.
Artist problems
Meghan believes that artist milestones have many practical and existential obstacles, as well as many respected efforts to overcome them. “I sometimes struggle with the balance of time required for work and everything else. Sometimes you need to spend the whole day at the computer or even work on something that is not necessary. I have a fairly structured schedule right now, so time is well spent, but there is still room for flexibility if something really creative and exciting happens and takes time. I have noticed that the best results in painting are achieved when working during the day or in the middle of the night. Therefore, I usually start my day by working at the computer with a cup of coffee, after which I start painting. I easily find myself in free space, where time is lost, and then the most ordinary things are forgotten, such as email and laundry. However, on a more personal level, like most people, I struggle with doubts. I think that the cure for this is only perseverance and hard work, ”the artist shares her opinion.
Tips
“The best advice I've heard is live in the art world the same way you live in your life. That is, be kind and treat others the way you expect them to treat you, Megan said. - Another tip is about perseverance and perseverance. If you think your work is wonderful and worthy of attention, then just keep up the good work and show it wherever you can. One of my first exhibitions was at an art group / punk house in Boston called The Cloud Club. We had a big party there and a lot of people came to it. As a result, we had many wonderful conversations with people who got acquainted with my work. One always leads to another, and there is no right path. Therefore, everyone should start from the very beginning, and not try to live other people's lives. "
Plans
Megan regularly participates in exhibitions and is always ready to cooperate: "You can knock on the window of my studio and we can paint together."
Discography:
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Theater Is Evil (2012). Image in the booklet.
Bibliography and sources:
1. "Artist Meghan Howland stalks wildness in nature, human and otherwise" // Published in the online edition _ PORTLAND MAGAZINE in September 2014. Author-Claire Z. Cramer
2. "Interview: Meghan Howland" // Publication in the online edition IMDAVIDJ.COM 02/01/2013
3. "Interview: Meghan Howland Discusses Her Moody Oil Paintings" // Publication in the online edition Hi-Fructose 08/25/2015. Posted by Nathan Spoor.
4. Site of the artistcargocollective.com/meghanhowland
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