Stories in Paper Exhibition

Stories in Paper by collage artist Megan Coyle
Stories in Paper by collage artist Megan Coyle

If you click on one of the images above, you can view a larger image of the front and back of the postcard for my upcoming solo exhibition. Before you know it, July 8th will be here. I’ve got quite a bit of exhibition prep work to do, but I’m excited that the artwork is completed, framed, and ready for the opening reception.

Below is the press release that the Art League Gallery sent out about my exhibit:

At a glance, Megan Coyle’s images deceptively appear to be slightly abstracted paintings. But upon closer inspection, the viewer can see the surface of the “painting” dissolves into bits of paper. Her images are not paintings, but collages carefully crafted from small pieces of magazine photos. Stories in Paper, Coyle’s solo exhibit at The Art League Gallery, explores images and scenes of day-to-day life using an unconventional medium and method to create sophisticated images.

Coyle reconstructs the picture surface by breaking down the human form into different planes – the body, face, and the folds in the clothing. She builds up the surface and texture by layering different shapes of paper, or peels away pieces to let previous layers shine through. “Utilizing this method allows me to create artwork that captures the essence of a painting, but broadens my palette to include textures, pattern, and fragments of photographs from magazines.”

“My process is pretty straight forward. First I sketch out the composition while using multiple photographs as references. I pour through piles of magazines and tear out pages that have the colors and patterns that I have in mind. I cut out shapes of color and affix them where I want them. I block in the color bit by bit, eventually layering shapes, and finally creating a finished piece. Lastly, I paint a matte varnish on top of the collage as a UV protectant.”

Coyle graduated in 2008 from Elon University in North Carolina with a BA in painting and creative writing. Her work has been exhibited throughout the region in venues including the Smithsonian Ripley Center, Fisher Gallery, Nicholas Colasanto Center, and The Art League Gallery. She was recently accepted into the Visiting Artist program at the Torpedo Factory Art Center for the summer of 2010.

In The Art League Gallery:

Stories in Paper: July 8 – August 2, 2010
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Thursday, July 8, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Artist Talk: Blogging for Artists with Megan Coyle: Thursday, July 15, 7:00 – 8:00 pm

Flamingo Dancers

Flamingo Dancers by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Flamingo Dancers.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
Order a Print

I was going to stick with the title “Flamingos” but then I thought I should start changing these titles up a bit. Flamingos always remind me of ballerinas for some reason. I think it’s their pink feathers and how they perch on one leg like the flamingo in the center.

Anyway, things are still pretty busy. I just finished putting together a bunch of handmade magnets to sell at the studio (they’ve been pretty popular – especially with tourists). And I’m continuing to work on a series of animal collages. I recently took pictures of several finished collages, which I’ll later post. In July I’m planning on working on landscape pieces for another upcoming exhibition. And hopefully, sometime soon, I can begin work on a short animation. I have so many ideas at the moment, and there are so many possibilities of projects I can work on – sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge the fact I’m not wonder woman and can’t do everything all at once.

Bosty goes to Paris

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

If you’re wondering what Bosty has been up to, he’s been busy traveling around Paris. He went ahead and bought himself a beret so he could pose in front of the Eiffel Tower like all the other American tourists.

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

Then he made his way over to the Musee D’Orsay – an art museum that used to be a railway station. Bosty liked chasing after some of the art museum visitors – it was his version of “performance art.”

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

Since you’re in the mood for museums, why not head over to the Louvre? Don’t mind if I do!

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

The day was pretty cloudy but still beautiful. Bosty had a lot of fun wandering the pretty Paris streets.

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

Posing in front of Notre Dame

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

And Sacre Coeur – which looked just like a large palace that Bosty wouldn’t mind living in.

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

He ended the day stopping by the Moulin Rouge – but only for a photo op. He wasn’t too interested in anything other than the movie reference.

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

Another day he decided to climb up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower for the view.

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

And finally, he made it to the top to take a look at the city below. “I think I could sit here all day.”

Bosty goes to Paris by collage artist Megan Coyle

And he did – before climbing back down to watch the Eiffel Tower light up from afar. Good night, Paris!

Goat

“Goat.” Collage on paper. 9″x12″
Order a Print

This weekend was a lot of fun at the studio. I’ve gotten quite a bit of work done thus far – and I have yet to take those finished collages home to photograph and post. My goal is to complete about a dozen animal collages before moving on to creating about eight landscape pieces for my NIH solo show in September.

Tomorrow I’m uninstalling the Fisher Gallery exhibition. It had a good run – and I can’t believe it’s already over! A lot of planning and work went into that show, and I’m proud that I was able to pull it off. Next up: my solo show at the Art League Gallery. I still have quite a bit of planning to do for that exhibition although it won’t be as intensive as the Fisher show.

Anyway, I hope everyone’s week has gotten off to a good start!

Polar Bear

Polar Bear by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Polar Bear.” Collage on paper. 9″x12″
Order a Print

I’ve been working away on several more animal collages at the studio. I’ll bring them back home one of these days so I can take pictures and post them.

Yesterday was my first Saturday working at the studio. It was pretty exciting how busy the art center was and I received a lot of business from the visitors. During the week, things are much slower in comparison with the weekend. I’m also in the process of ordering more magnets – I’ll have to work away with making a lot more of them for the upcoming week.

In other news, last night Scene Gallery had an opening for the “Local Scene” exhibit. It was a pleasant gathering and the art looked great in the space.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I think I’ll go ahead and take care of a few errands before heading off to the studio.

Studio Update

Megan Coyle collage artist's studio

Since posting my last pictures of the studio where I’m currently working for June and July, I’ve moved a few things around to help with presentation. Before, the pedestals were pushed up against the wall. When I did this, I had trouble getting visitors to notice my work. By pulling out the pedestals, and forcing visitors to walk around them, my work became much more noticeable. I also had the problem of visitors thinking my work was painting, thus not really paying close attention to it. In the image above you can see that I cut out paper letters and taped them to the wall – the set on the side includes my logo as well as the words “Collage Artist.”

Megan Coyle collage artist's studio

I also cut out letters to make up “painting with paper.”

Megan Coyle collage artist's studio

Here’s a view that shows a little of the other side of the studio. I’m competing for attention with these sculpture pieces.

Megan Coyle collage artist's studio

Here are my marketing materials – postcards, business cards, and brochures – you can see them right when you walk in the door. That book I have propped up on a mini easel is the book I put together with Blurb. I think Blurb is pretty useful – I was really satisfied with the quality.

Megan Coyle collage artist's studio

And now I have note cards for sale along with my handmade magnets.

Well anyway, I’m off to take care of a few errands before heading off to the studio for just about the entire day.

Dinner for Two

Dinner for Two by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Dinner for Two.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
Order a print

And it’s done! I thought about adding more to the background, but when it came down to it, I decided that a simpler background could draw more attention to the couple.

In other news, I’m feeling a great deal better. Slept for a good chunk of time yesterday, and I suppose my body has a tendency of feeling weary and sick as a way to tell me to slow down and take better care of myself.

These next few days are going to be busy ones. I’m pleased to say that all my figurative pieces are complete for my exhibitions scheduled for this year. Next on my list is to finish about ten or more animal collages for a show in August and about eight landscape/cityscape pieces for a show in September. To add to the workload, I also need to get started on planning out my next artist talk for my solo show in July as well as a lecture on blogging for artists that I’ll be giving in mid July.

Character Study

This is a collaboration I worked on with my brother. I did the concept drawing, he took the sketch and modeled/uv unwrapped it, I collaged the uv flats, and he put it together for the final look. I think the next step is that we’ll start working on a background for this little guy.

Birdy by collage artist Megan Coyle

Here’s the concept sketch I did

Birdy model by Brendan Coyle

And my brother’s interpretation of the sketch with a 3d model. Next I collaged the uv flats which he took and was able to use to put together the clip that you saw at the top.

Once I get a spare moment, I’d like to work on my own 2d animation piece. Also, that children’s book has been in my backlog of things “to do” for quite a while now. Hopefully I can get started on that as well in the near future.

"Local Scene" Exhibit at Scene Gallery

Washington Monument by collage artist Megan CoyleAbove is one of the flyers Scene Gallery is using to promote their “Local Scene” exhibit that opens tomorrow. You’ll notice that it features my scape collage, “The Washington Monument,” and if you click on the flyer image, you can see a larger version of it.

I was invited by Scene Gallery to participate in this group exhibition which features the work of local artists. The exhibit is showcasing artwork depicting sights of the Washington, D.C. area. Aside from my “Washington Monument” collage, the show also features my “Lincoln Memorial,” “Masonic Temple,” and “Torpedo Factory.”

I’m excited to participate in this show. Scene Gallery is a fairly new gallery – it opened not even a year ago at National Harbor in Maryland. The opening is on Saturday, June 12th from 6 – 9p.m. I’m looking forward to spending the day in the studio at the Torpedo Factory before heading on over to National Harbor for the reception.

Local Scene

The Lincoln Memorial by Megan Coyle
“The Lincoln Memorial.” Collage on mat board. 5″x7″
Order a print

June 4th – July 20th, 2010
Scene Gallery; National Harbor, Maryland
Map and Gallery Info

Opening Reception: June 12th, 6 – 9 p.m.

Megan was invited to display her work in a group exhibition at Scene Gallery located on National Harbor. Four of her ‘scapes collages were on display, “Lincoln Memorial,” “Washington Monument,” “Torpedo Factory,” and “The Masonic Temple.

Washington Monument by collage artist Megan CoyleThe exhibition, “Local Scene,” featured artwork depicting scenes around the Washington, D.C. area. It showcased the artwork of local artists.