Megan Coyle: Artist & Illustrator

March 15, 2010February 19, 2017

Reading Room

Another day, another collage.

With this particular collage, I was interested in making the piece look like the viewer’s walked into the same room where the sitter is. Perhaps they interrupted them while they were in the middle of a book? I like making narrative scenes, partially because they’re fun to make, mainly because different viewers can come up with so many different storylines or ideas of what’s going on in a scene.

Anyway, this week I’m going to try to finish another figurative piece and hopefully get started on a few more mini collages.

March 10, 2010January 30, 2017

Women in Art: Body of Work

A few days ago I gallery sat for the DRA’s “Women in Art: Body of Work” exhibition. I took a few pictures of the show as well as some images of my work on the wall.

Megan Coyle collage artist

My collages, “The New York Diner” and “Jean,” framed and hanging on the gallery walls. “The New York Diner” was made for an upcoming solo exhibit that I’m having in May and “Jean” is a piece I finished in ’08 for my senior thesis exhibition.

Megan Coyle collage artist

Megan Coyle collage artist The exhibit had quite a variety of artwork, with metal sculptures, photographs, paintings, drawings, and mixed media pieces. I always like seeing the range in artwork hanging in themed exhibitions – it’s interesting how different artists approach the same subject matter with a different style, idea, and medium.

March 5, 2010March 22, 2018

Women in Art: Body of Work

Jean by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Jean.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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March 5th – 21st, 2010
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

One of Megan’s older pieces, “Jean,” as well as a newly finished figurative collage, “The New York Diner,” were on display in the Nicholas Colasanto Center’s “Women in Art: Body of Work Exhibition.”

“Jean” was a collage that was created in 2008 for Megan’s senior thesis exhibition at Elon University.

The “Women in Art: Body of Work” show featured the artwork of local artists who tackled the theme of women in art. The exhibition was presented by the Del Ray artisans and the Divas of Decoupage.

March 3, 2010January 30, 2017

Collaging the Figure

Here are a few images of the exhibit I installed the other day (there’s a bit of a glare from the lighting):

Collage artwork by Megan Coyle

All of the work, with the exception of one of the smaller pieces, are collages that were completed either several years ago or a couple of years ago. I wanted to showcase the work that’s led up to the direction I’m moving in now, where I’m exploring different ways of depicting the figure. I’m not just doing portrait pieces where the sitter sits prominently in the center of the composition, but collages from all angles.

Looking back at the work I’ve created over the past couple of years makes me want to start experimenting more with trying to find different ways to develop my style. I think spending a few minutes every day brainstorming could be pretty helpful.

March 2, 2010February 11, 2017

The Cafe

And it’s finished – another cafe/restaurant portrait with a yellow background:

This afternoon I installed my show at Arlington Central Library’s East Gallery space. I’ll post a few pictures of the exhibit when I upload the pictures from my camera. Luckily I didn’t need to nail holes in the wall when installing this show – which is always a challenge for me. I typically find myself trying to cover up mistakes I’ve made from hammering by hiding holes in the wall with the frames of the hanging artwork. So it was nice that the library used metal rods for their artwork which made the installation fairly easy and straight forward to do.I also received a pleasant surprise today – a letter from the Washington Art Association regarding the portfolio I submitted to them for a work on paper show. They’re interested in the piece I did, “The Commuters,” and would like to see a series of work that looks like that particular collage. So it was nice not to receive a generic rejection letter – and instead receive a somewhat lengthy letter wanting me to resubmit more work.

Anyway, I’m off to do some late night studio work. I hope everyone had a happy first day of March! (and Monday too of course)

March 1, 2010March 22, 2018

Collaging the Figure

Man at the Market by collage artist Megan Coyle — “Man at the Market.” Collage on mat board. 16″x20″
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March 1st – 31st, 2010
Arlington Central East Gallery; Arlington, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info

“Collaging the Figure” is one of Megan’s first solo exhibitions that occured during the entire month of March. The show featured figurative collages that she has done within the past several years. With older works of art such as “Orange Girl” and “Girl with Glasses” (which was exhibited at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center), Megan’s exhibition gave viewers a look at what her collage work looked like when she was just getting started with the medium.

Pieces like “Bren,” “Man at the Market,” “Figure in Front of the Window,” “The Artist from a Distance,” “Figure Seated by the Counter,” and “Smile,” consist of compositions that Megan has worked on within the past couple of years. This exhibition served as a reflection on her previous work, as Megan gets ready for her two upcoming figurative solo exhibitions that will feature a large body of work that moves in a different direction.

February 28, 2010February 19, 2017

One, Two, Three Giraffes

Here’s my latest animal piece. The weekend has been a little hectic for me – I was busy getting prepared for a last minute exhibition I’m installing tomorrow morning/afternoon. Not to mention trying to get organized for my larger exhibitions that are coming up in the next few months. Lots of work on mailing lists and mapping out what needs to get done in the next few days.I’m also beginning to make some plans with heading in a different direction with the way I use my blog. I want to continue to use it to post about my projects, recently finished artwork, and exhibitions, but I’d like to turn it into something that is more interactive for readers. I’m thinking of interviewing other artists and posting the interviews here, writing reviews of other exhibitions/museums, and creating a weekly project. It will be a while until I get everything organized, but I’m looking forward to changing gears.

February 25, 2010January 30, 2017

The New York Diner

And here’s the finished product.

And now I’m off to do some late night collaging – things are going to get a little hectic in the next couple of months.

February 11, 2010January 30, 2017

Cuddling Rhinos

Another zoo-inspired piece. These animal pieces are making me want to start working on a children’s book. Once my hectic schedule of exhibitions passes by after the summer, I’ll have a bit more time to tackle a plot and start thinking up characters. But we’ll see, perhaps I’ll have some time to work on this before then.

February 8, 2010February 18, 2017

Lazy Polar Bear

Here’s my latest animal collage which is actually quite fitting for me right now – I’m feeling a lot like this guy. D.C. was hit with a snow blizzard, so I’ve been snowed in the past few days just lounging around.