Bosty goes to Chicago

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Bosty decided to spend his summer vacation in the windy city – Chicago. He was really excited to see Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. He’s so cultured.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Then he had to stop by the “bean” because he thought it sounded tasty. He was disappointed to see that it wasn’t a real, edible bean.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

He spent the afternoon wandering through Millennium Park dog watching and people watching, while admiring some of the park’s sculptures.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

For dinner he had to stop by Giordanos for some deep dish pizza.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

He even had some leftovers that he boxed up and had for a late night snack and breakfast the next day.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Up next? A visit to the impressive Art Institute of Chicago.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Bosty liked the modern wing – he’s a big fan of the architecture.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

He also visited the special exhibit on Roy Lichtenstein. Bosty loves comics so he’s a big fan of Lichtenstein’s style.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Here’s one of his favorites in the exhibit – I think he just liked it because he could recognize Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

He was pretty excited to see Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks in person.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

That night Bosty decided to live it up and do some fine dining at the famous Charlie Trotter’s restaurant. He heard it was closing soon, so he wanted to make sure he had a fancy multiple course meal there.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

The next day he wanted to check out the view of the city from the Sky Deck at the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

After pushing through a lot of tourists at the top, he was able to get a few snapshots of himself in front of the view.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Next we wandered around the city – it was such a beautiful, sunny day. Bosty got excited when he saw this parade float drive by – such colorful seahorses!

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Here he is posing for another one of his tourist snapshots.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

Later we stumbled upon the Buckingham Fountain – Bosty was very tempted to swim in the water. After all, it was an unusually hot summer day.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

The word hot reminds me of…hot dogs! We stopped by Hot Doug’s for lunch.

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

After waiting in line for about an hour, Bosty tried not to be a piggy while eating several Chicago style hot dogs (he worked up quite an appetite).

Bosty goes to Chicago by collage artist Megan Coyle

 We ended our visit with a stroll through the city at night.

Scarlet Macaw

Scarlet Macaw by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Scarlet Macaw.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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And the collage is complete! Next up? A landscape/cityscape series inspired by scenes around DC and neighboring areas. My goal is to complete one collage each week so I’ll be able to finish a new body of work in time for a solo show in February 2013. I’ve got quite a bit of collaging ahead of me…

Red Ruffed Lemur

Red Ruffed Lemur by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Red Ruffed Lemur.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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Lemurs are such unusual critters. I just love their eyes – they always look somewhat cartoonish. And I had a lot of fun putting this piece together.

Lately, a lot of my animal collages have been in the larger size I work in – 18″x24.” I decided that I really needed to create a series of bigger animal collages. It helps if you have a variety of sizes to pull from when working on an inventory for an upcoming exhibit.

Turtle that thinks she’s a Giraffe

Turtle that thinks she's a Giraffe by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Turtle that thinks she’s a Giraffe.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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Here’s the finished collage! I really enjoyed collaging her shell – I used quite a mix of texture for it. And with the background I wanted to make it look somewhat abstract and out of focus so that you could hone in more on the actual turtle.

Recycled Art Show

Tree Baby (Firefox) by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Tree Baby (Firefox).” Collage on paper. 16″x12″
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June 1st – 30th, 2012
Arlington Central Library Gallery; Arlington, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Coyle’s “Tree Baby” and “Autumn Afternoons” collages were on display in Arlington Library’s “Recycled Art Show” group exhibit. The show featured artwork by local artists and each work of art was comprised of at least 50% recycled material.

This was Coyle’s second group exhibit at Arlington Library – she previously displayed her work in “The Art of Food” exhibit. She has also had two solo shows there, “Collaging the Figure” and “Select Works from Duck & Fish.”

Since her work is constructed entirely from magazine strips, it was a perfect fit for the show’s theme.