Claire

Claire by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Claire”
Collage on paper. 12″x9″

“Claire” is a commissioned portrait that I recently completed and shipped over to a woman in Texas. I have a couple of other commissions at the moment that are going to be given as Christmas gifts by my clients. Thus I’ll refrain from posting images of these projects until the holiday season has passed.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was filled with family get-togethers and lots and lots of food. I didn’t bother with shopping on Black Friday – I think I’ll finish my shopping online so I can avoid the crowds. Anyway, I’m off to try and finish another commission – I’ve decided I won’t work too much on my personal projects until these commission are complete, however I’m anxious to get back to my children’s book illustrations.

Have a great end of November!

Thankful for Art

Art has had a role in my life for as long as I can remember, and I can’t imagine a life without creating or marveling at the creations of others. Other artists have inspired me. The art world in general has motivated me to keep moving forward with my work.

Even when I’d doubt myself and swear that I’d give up – I was never able to quit art cold turkey. And that’s a good thing too. I’m incredibly thankful for how my artistic career is shaping up. I’m content that I have time to do what I love and that I’ve had a chance to meet so many great people as a result of visiting galleries and exhibitions. I’m glad that by pursuing my art so fiercely, I have willingly put myself in situations that made me feel uncomfortable – just so I could adapt and adjust to new things.

Mr. Turtle by collage artist Megan CoyleArt has made life richer, and I’m excited about all the possibilities that are out there as I continue to work and pursue my artistic dreams.

I’m thankful for the creative life.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

Closing of "Blue: An Interpretation"

Megan Coyle exhibit Megan Coyle exhibit

Megan Coyle exhibitBlue has always been one of my favorite colors. I’ve found that whenever I make a collage portrait and I’m not sure what color shirt to give the sitter, I default to the color blue. Thus when I heard about the “Blue: An Interpretation” exhibit I was excited to submit a couple of the blue collages I’ve completed over the years.

The “Blue” exhibit came down on Sunday. Several days ago I did some gallery-sitting and above are some photographs from my visit.

Karim’s Father

Karim's Father by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Karim’s Father.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″

And here’s the finished piece. You’ll notice that it looks much different than the last progress picture. My client supplied me with a low res photograph taken with a cell phone camera. After a bit of dialogue back and forth between us, the portrait began to change bit by bit as I merged elements from other photographs that the client sent. Eventually, this was the result.

Anyway, I’m off to continue working on another commission – when it rains, it does indeed pour. And sometimes I wish I could clone myself so I could work on all the projects that are on my “to do” list.

Künstler der Woche

Megan Coyle Artist of the WeekToday I found out about a German site called “Create or Die” (sounds like a design/art spin off of Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die”) that’s featuring me as “Künstler der Woche,” or “The Artist of the Week.” Above you’ll see there’s a black box that appears when you scroll over the image of my artwork that they posted. Here’s a rough translation of what it says: “First the American-born Megan Coyle was primarily devoted to painting, but eventually she moved on to make collages. A good decision, for the artist’s work is so colorful that it could almost have been wielded by the brush of an impressionist.”

My work also showed up this week on the Artsy Shark – a site devoted to emerging artists.

It’s always great fun to see your artwork showing up in different places. Anyway, I’m off to continue my work on more commission work – hope everyone is having a great week thus far!

Closing of Collage Scapes Exhibition

Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit

My “Collage Scapes” exhibit at NIH closed on Friday afternoon. I swung by to pick up my work on Saturday morning, and now the pieces are safely in storage. Here are some images of the artwork when it was on display there.

I made this series specifically for this show – my goal was to focus on a subject matter that I don’t really focus a lot of energy on these days – landscapes and cityscapes. I was pleased with the finished product and hope to explore more scapes scenes in the future.

Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit

Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit Collage artist Megan Coyle exhibit

Blue: An Interpretation

A Piece of the Ocean by collage artist Megan Coyle
“A Piece of the Ocean.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
Order a print

November 5th – 21st, 2010
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

“Blue: An Interpretation” was an all member show held by the Del Ray Artisans at the Nicholas Colasanto Center. The show featured the work of several local artists working in a variety of media while exploring different depictions of blue.

If you’ve taken a look at Megan’s work, you’ve probably noticed that she uses a lot of blue. Blue is a color that has frequently appeared in her work over the years. When she heard that the Del Ray Artisans were having a “Blue” exhibition, she was excited to share a couple of her collages that relate to the theme of the show.

Blue-Beaver
“Blue Beaver.” Collage on mat board. 5″x7″
Order a print

Megan’s “A Piece of the Ocean” and “Blue Beaver” were on display for the duration of the exhibit. Both pieces were recently exhibited in “The Animal Kingdom” solo exhibit.