A Piece of the Jefferson Memorial

A Piece of the Jefferson Memorial by collage artist Megan Coyle
“A Piece of the Jefferson Memorial.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
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And still trekking along with the landscape/cityscape series. I’m doing my best to get inspired by my DC surroundings. I’ve got to admit, I’m much more interested in animals and people as subjects – they are so intricate and interesting. So it’s quite the challenge working on this series. But of course the challenge is much needed – I need to explore and experiment with other subjects.

DC Reflections

DC Reflections by collage artist Megan Coyle
“DC Reflections.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
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And here’s the finished version. I might do another angle of this scene for another collage in this series. We shall see…and it looks like I might do more than twenty new collages for this series. At first I was thinking of making the series all the same size, but now I’m thinking about the possibility of making a variety of different sized collages.

Animals in Paper Exhibit

Animal collages by Megan Coyle

Yesterday I installed an exhibit of fifteen of my collages over at Beatley Library, “Animals in Paper.” The installation process was quite the experience for this show – I had to climb up a sixteen-foot ladder to latch the hooks into the molding.

Animal collages by Megan Coyle

Here you can get a sense of the height of the walls.

Animal collages by Megan Coyle

Some of the collages were tiered for a couple of the walls.

Animal collages by Megan Coyle

I sort of liked the way this particular one was tiered with everything shifted to one side or another.

Animal collages by Megan Coyle
Animal collages by Megan Coyle

Anyway, I’m off to start planning my upcoming exhibit in August – a two-person show in Charleston, South Carolina.

Subject to Interpretation Exhibit at the Ward Museum

Megan Coyle Ward Museum Exhibit

This week the “Subject to the Interpretation” exhibit at the Ward Museum ended. It was my second group exhibit at a museum, although the Ward Museum is the first museum that has accepted a couple of my collages into its permanent collection. They now own my “Flamingo Dancers” (above) and “Mallard Duck” (below). I’m happy to know that those collages now have a permanent home there – and I also like how the museum owns some work by the illustrator Charley Harper. I’m honored that my collages were in an exhibit that featured a couple of Harper’s pieces.

Megan Coyle Ward Museum Exhibit

Here I am posed in front of my “Mallard Duck” collage in the exhibit. To the left of the piece is a picture of the Duck & Fish book cover – the Ward Museum is also selling my book in their gift shop.

Megan Coyle Ward Museum Exhibit

And here I am checking out my book in the shop.

Megan Coyle Ward Museum Exhibit

Megan Coyle Ward Museum Exhibit

Above is a picture of the Ward Museum – it has a pretty interesting structure. I’m glad I was able to swing by Salisbury, Maryland to check out the show before it ended.

Animals in Paper

Fine Dining for Pandas by collage artist Megan Coyle
Fine Dining for Pandas by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Fine Dining for Pandas.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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July 7th – September 29th, 2012
Beatley Alexandria City Gallery; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s work was on display in a solo show at the Beatley Alexandria City Gallery. The Alexandria City Gallery Program exhibits the artwork of local artists in fifteen city galleries.

As a child, Coyle was always drawn to animals and colorful illustrations. Growing up in the D.C. area made it easy for her to visit the Smithsonian museums. She especially enjoyed visiting the animals at the zoo and seeing the animal exhibits at the Natural History Museum. Coyle continues to visit those places, but now she does it to study and gather inspiration for future works of art.

“Animals in Paper” featured several of Coyle’s new animal collages alongside a few older works of art. Her newer pieces included several 18″x24″ animal collages depicting species that didn’t appear in her previous work. The artwork explored the colorful diversity of animals in nature – with mammals, reptiles, and birds.

Inspired by color and the unique characteristics of different species, Coyle has created familiar images of animals big and small. All the collages were constructed entirely from magazine strips using a technique she calls “painting with paper.” If you were able to stop by for a visit, you could get a closer look at all the layers used for these paper creations.

Urban Sunsets

Urban Sunsets by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Urban Sunsets.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″
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Here’s the first collage I’ve done for my new scapes series. I’m planning to create twenty new collages in all, which will be inspired by D.C./Northern Virginia area sights. Once the series is complete, I’ll display the work in an exhibit next year.

“Urban Sunsets” is inspired by D.C. sunsets, with an office-building skyline. More scenes to come soon…

Made from Magazines Exhibit

Made from Magazines Megan Coyle Exhibit

Today I installed my exhibit over at Shirlington Library – “Made from Magazines.” It features ten of my animal collages and includes some of my newer work alongside older pieces.

Made from Magazines Megan Coyle Exhibit

When you first walk in, you see these two pieces hanging above a table with books propped upright.

Made from Magazines Megan Coyle Exhibit

I like how the space includes white and red walls. It’s a nice contrast.

Made from Magazines Megan Coyle Exhibit
Made from Magazines Megan Coyle Exhibit

This piece is close to the front window.

Anyway, I’m off to get prepared for a couple more exhibits that I have coming up. I have another installation going on next weekend. Whew – busy, busy!

Made from Magazines

Watchful Lion by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Watchful Lion.” Collage on paper. 16″x12″
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July 1st – 28th, 2012
Shirlington Library Gallery; Arlington, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

This solo show featured several of Coyle’s recently completed animal collages. The exhibit explored a variety of species meticulously constructed from bits and pieces of magazine pages. The work showcases how recycled materials can be used to make intricate works of art.

The animal collages were inspired by zoos around the U.S., especially the National Zoo in D.C., as well as museums like the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum.

Shirlington Library has a modern look and feel to it, which made it the perfect venue for Coyle’s unusual collage art. The gallery is part of an arts program that brings local artists’ artwork into public city spaces.