March 4th, 2010
At the age of 23, collage artist Megan Coyle has developed a technique where she takes ordinary magazine pages and turns them into works of art. Her work will be on display in the Fisher Gallery at the Schlesinger Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The solo exhibition, titled “Piece by Piece Figurative Collage,” will open May 14th, 2010 and run through June 13th. The opening reception is on Saturday, May 22nd from 3:00 to 5:00pm. Megan will hold a short artist talk at 4:00pm. The exhibition includes several 18”x24” collage works on paper. Each piece is made entirely from recycled magazines and depicts different figures interacting with the environment around them.
By using a technique she calls “painting with paper,” Megan creates colorful collages that reflect an influence from her formal training in painting. She recreates the look and feel of a painting through the manipulation of paper and magazine strips, where she cuts and pieces together shapes of paper to mimic brushstrokes. The work challenges traditional ideas of what makes a work of art a painting or a collage.
Megan Coyle grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and received a degree in Painting and Creative Writing from Elon University in 2008. She currently works and exhibits her artwork in Northern Virginia. She has two more upcoming solo exhibitions in the summer, with one in July at the Art League and one in August at the Goodwin House.
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