Published in Somerset Studio Magazine

Megan Coyle in Somerset Studio Magazine Megan Coyle in Somerset Studio Magazine
I finally got my hands on a copy of the July/August issues of Somerset Studio magazine – it took a little while to find a Barnes & Noble near me that restocked their Somerset Studio magazines with the latest issue.

I was pretty excited to see that they featured three of my collages – “The New York Diner,” “Commuters,” and “Sunset in the City.”

Megan Coyle in Somerset Studio Magazine Megan Coyle in Somerset Studio Magazine

It definitely made my day seeing my work in print. It’s times like this that make me feel grateful and excited about being an artist.

Anyway, I’m off to work on planning a few future collages. I’ve been bad about working on studio art since life has been crazy busy these days, but I’m hoping to start up a few more projects somewhat soon.

Published in Somerset Studio Magazine

Megan Coyle published in Somerset Studio MagazineMy artwork is featured inside Somerset Studio magazine’s July/August issue – in an article called “Painting with Paper.” Wanda Edwards, another paper collage artist, is also featured in the article. Somerset Studio is a national magazine that focuses on paper crafting and mixed media art. You can order a copy online through Stampington & Company’s website, or you can swing by your local Barnes & Noble and pickup the magazine at the newsstand. Below is the table of contents from the issue.

I have yet to get my hands on a copy – but once I do, I’ll go ahead and post a couple preview images. It was a lovely surprise to hear that I was inside the July/August issue. I’m pretty excited to see how everything looks in print.

Megan Coyle published in Somerset Studio Magazine

Künstler der Woche

Megan Coyle Artist of the WeekToday I found out about a German site called “Create or Die” (sounds like a design/art spin off of Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die”) that’s featuring me as “Künstler der Woche,” or “The Artist of the Week.” Above you’ll see there’s a black box that appears when you scroll over the image of my artwork that they posted. Here’s a rough translation of what it says: “First the American-born Megan Coyle was primarily devoted to painting, but eventually she moved on to make collages. A good decision, for the artist’s work is so colorful that it could almost have been wielded by the brush of an impressionist.”

My work also showed up this week on the Artsy Shark – a site devoted to emerging artists.

It’s always great fun to see your artwork showing up in different places. Anyway, I’m off to continue my work on more commission work – hope everyone is having a great week thus far!

Stories in Paper Exhibition

Stories in Paper by collage artist Megan Coyle
Stories in Paper by collage artist Megan Coyle

If you click on one of the images above, you can view a larger image of the front and back of the postcard for my upcoming solo exhibition. Before you know it, July 8th will be here. I’ve got quite a bit of exhibition prep work to do, but I’m excited that the artwork is completed, framed, and ready for the opening reception.

Below is the press release that the Art League Gallery sent out about my exhibit:

At a glance, Megan Coyle’s images deceptively appear to be slightly abstracted paintings. But upon closer inspection, the viewer can see the surface of the “painting” dissolves into bits of paper. Her images are not paintings, but collages carefully crafted from small pieces of magazine photos. Stories in Paper, Coyle’s solo exhibit at The Art League Gallery, explores images and scenes of day-to-day life using an unconventional medium and method to create sophisticated images.

Coyle reconstructs the picture surface by breaking down the human form into different planes – the body, face, and the folds in the clothing. She builds up the surface and texture by layering different shapes of paper, or peels away pieces to let previous layers shine through. “Utilizing this method allows me to create artwork that captures the essence of a painting, but broadens my palette to include textures, pattern, and fragments of photographs from magazines.”

“My process is pretty straight forward. First I sketch out the composition while using multiple photographs as references. I pour through piles of magazines and tear out pages that have the colors and patterns that I have in mind. I cut out shapes of color and affix them where I want them. I block in the color bit by bit, eventually layering shapes, and finally creating a finished piece. Lastly, I paint a matte varnish on top of the collage as a UV protectant.”

Coyle graduated in 2008 from Elon University in North Carolina with a BA in painting and creative writing. Her work has been exhibited throughout the region in venues including the Smithsonian Ripley Center, Fisher Gallery, Nicholas Colasanto Center, and The Art League Gallery. She was recently accepted into the Visiting Artist program at the Torpedo Factory Art Center for the summer of 2010.

In The Art League Gallery:

Stories in Paper: July 8 – August 2, 2010
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Thursday, July 8, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Artist Talk: Blogging for Artists with Megan Coyle: Thursday, July 15, 7:00 – 8:00 pm

Orange Stand

Orange Stand by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Orange Stand.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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I had a lot of fun working on the wall in the background – I got to get a little carried away with texture. Perhaps I should experiment more with a lot of texture for an entire collage as opposed to just a section of it.

In other news, an article I wrote about my collage work was recently published on Bourgeon Online, “Megan Coyle on her Collage Portraiture.” Bourgeon Online is an online publication that focuses on the arts in the Washington, D.C. area. Another local publication, Local Kicks, also published an article regarding my upcoming solo exhibition in May, “Going Green with Art: Meg Coyle Makes Art from Recycled Magazines.”

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend – I’m looking forward to enjoying the cool spring weather.

Autumn Flowers

Autumn Flowers by Megan Coyle
“Autumn Flowers”
Collage on mat board. 5″x7″
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I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We had some beautiful autumn weather in the Washington, D.C. area.

And, as far as my collage work has gone this weekend, I created another mini collage for my autumn series.