Meet Megan Lightell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Lightell.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I fell in love with painting as young person growing up in an isolated rural community in the hills of Ohio and went to New York to study painting. Surrounded by concrete and the built urban environment, I felt uprooted and was surprised by a longing to return to a more natural place. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in NYC, I was given the opportunity to be the first artist-in-residence at the Pomerene Center for the Arts in my hometown and began working with the community while making a body of work based on the landscape. These early pieces formed the foundation of my work today, which spans nearly two decades of exploring through painting the emotional and spiritual connections that humans have with the landscape.

For the past 13 years I have been exhibiting in Atlanta and owe much of my success to the support of galleries, designers, and collectors who have purchased my work. I currently live and work in Nashville, TN, where I am serving as one of the artists-in-residence at the Downtown Presbyterian Church. Most of my time is spent painting in the fields or in the studio, or tending our family garden, which is home to rabbits, chickens, and bees. All of these practices help me stay present and observant of the constant change of the natural world, and the rhythms that return each season.

Please tell us about your art.
My work as a painter has emerged from the roots of my childhood spent in the farmland and forests in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in rural Ohio. Following a period of study in New York, I returned to the rural environment and saw the land with fresh eyes, relating in a new way to the comfort, mystery, and silence embodied in the landscape. I was drawn to the hills, rivers, and valleys and discovered through painting them that there were particular places that invited me to look closely, to be present, to listen and observe.

Through this series of paintings in the years since, I have learned to witness not just a physical location, but also the deeper connection formed by spending time alone in a natural space. In the process of making a piece, I alternate time spent on location gathering reference, with time spent in the studio, working from field notes and memory to make large-scale oil paintings using traditional methods. Rather than painting solely from observation outdoors, working in the studio allows me to recall the resonance of a place, distilling the elements to their essence.

Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
It is difficult for me to generalize the experience of being an artist today, because I have been painting for so many years and have encountered so many seasons of both abundance and hardship, and I am uncertain how many of these experiences are universal to other artists or are just indicative of my own path. In many ways, it feels easier than ever to make work and release it to the world using digital platforms that connect us to potential collectors and other artists. Like all other fields, the art world is still finding its way through the rapid changes of our new digital reality, and this has caused some shifts in the way artists connect with collectors, in some cases undermining the old relationships with galleries in favor of a more direct approach. There is still a vital role to be played by galleries, however, and artist-run spaces and emerging artist-focused galleries can play an important role in supporting the next generation of artists.

From a policy perspective, cities can support a vibrant arts community by considering affordable housing options and protecting or subsidizing studio space for artists, as finding space becomes challenging as gentrification occurs and real estate costs rise. Elevating the voices of artists from marginalized communities and centering the viewpoints of underrepresented groups is key to ensuring that the culture of the city is truly reflective of the experiences of people living there. Encouraging a culture of collecting art from local working artists is also important in supporting living contemporary artists as they continue to make their work.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is represented in the Atlanta area by Anne Irwin Fine Art:
690 Miami Circle NE # 150
Atlanta, Ga 30324
404-467-1200
anneirwinfieart.com

I exhibit there frequently and paintings are always available to view upon request.

Contact Info:

• Website: meganlightell.com
• Instagram: @meganlightell
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePaintingsofMeganLightell/
• Twitter: @meganlightell

Image Credit:
The photo of me painting should be credited to Glen Rose. (All other photos are mine).

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