Animals in Paper (Part II)

Scarlet Macaw by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Scarlet Macaw.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
Order a print

September 30th, 2012 – January 5th, 2013
Beatley Alexandria City Gallery; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

Megan Coyle’s work is 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 (Part II)” features several of Coyle’s new animal collages alongside a few older works of art. Her newer pieces include several 18″x24″ animal collages depicting species that didn’t appear in her previous work. The artwork explores 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 stop by for a visit, you can get a closer look at all the layers used for these paper creations.