Abstract Expressionism Painter

Meghan Oare    meghanoare.com
*intro by Craig Berger

May 10th 2015
Planes.  Trains.  Photo shutter snaps.  The frigid rain.  Spilled wine.  A wilted flower.  Hot Coffee.  A female form in flight.  Crowded streets.  An honest conversation.  Mountain peaks.  Hard sculpted bodies.  Fallen trees.  That perfect song.  Unspoken words.  Cracked wooden walls.  Candle flickers.  Creaky pipes.  A splattered apron.  What’s next?

Meghan Oare has learned to harness these caprices of passion and motion of life into her art as an inspired young painter whose brush strokes extend far beyond the canvas.


BHM: How did you become a painter?

Meghan:  Since I was young I was drawn to the creative process and enjoyed drawing cartoon characters.  During my freshman year of college, I was caught in the common dilemma of choosing a "responsible" major or surrendering my passion.  An obligatory elective class was painting.  Then and there I decided that I must focus on my art. 

While attending college, I was able to participate in a study abroad program where I became entranced by other cultures and seduced by languages.  It led me to teaching English as a second language (ESL) at an international college.  When I studied in Germany, I was introduced to abstract expressionism, which had greatly influenced and inspired my work and art philosophy.  I have coordinate art events and gallery exhibitions over the last twelve years that were sometimes accompanied by musicians.  I have also utilized the media to promote the exhibitions as well as to expose my art to a wider audience.

Abstract Expressionism by German artist Gerhard Richter Atelier 1985 (top left); and Americans: Jackson Pollock White Light 1954 (right) and Lee Krasner The Seasons 1957 (bottom left). 


BHM: What were the challenges breaking into the NYC gallery scene?

Meghan:  My first show in Chelsea was at Agora Gallery.  It did not prove to be a pleasant experience.  The gallery owner wasn't very invested in the artists.  I visited the gallery before the show and introduced myself to the owner.  On the night of the exhibit, she was unaware I was one of the artists showcasing that night.  It was insulting and yet eye opening to the reality of the Chelsea art galleries.  It did lead to other invitations to exhibit in Chelsea, but I was already prejudiced towards the sometimes superficial façade of NYC.  However, it is like any other industry, which entails pros and cons.  Learning to navigate these obstacles could result in success or failure. It is most important to connect with your audience and ultimately satisfying when they can connect to your work.  Art clichés such as pompous, narcissistic, and vainglory types do exist along with your occasional creepy characters, but the entire industry isn’t consumed by them.

It is challenging being a female artist seeking to promote her work and obtain sponsorship without sending the wrong signals.  One of my personal experiences had involved a sponsor who offered significant financial backing in exchange for a romantic relationship.  I, personally, am not willing to compromise my morals for money. An ideal situation would be to locate sponsors who support art and are willing to help you progress.  Having an agent could help the artist progress after they have reached a certain level of exposure, but it isn’t necessary when just starting.  IT may relieve the artist of additional responsibilities of organizing exhibitions so they can focus on their creative process.

For over ten years, I have exhibited my work in many different venues in NYC, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.  I have been invited to exhibit internationally in such places as France, Spain, Poland, Italy, and Malaysia.  I have not followed through with the exhibits due to the costs of shipping and prepaid teaching of paintings I haven’t yet sold.  However, I was fortunate to exhibit in the final art show held at the Chelsea Hotel before it closed.  My work was also shown at the National Gallery in NYC with Swipe (www.swipemagazine.com), the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Since not all galleries and venues are the same, there are challenges to displaying with each.  Depending on the venue, it may take several hours to hang a show.  I always make sure to have extra supplies to adapt to any situation.  I’ve had to get creative in some cases by stringing wire over beams to hang the work.  I never lay my paintings on the table or chairs because presentation is everything.

When presenting my work, I display my paintings in relation to one another depending on their color scheme and energy level.  It is good to consider surface textures, symmetry, dimensions of the work and lighting. I recently exhibited at Klimat Lounge located in the East Village (www.klimatlounge.com).  They truly appreciate and support their artists and have different artists displaying their work every month.  The venue is a unique place, which has been handcrafted and built by its owner.  He used recycled wood and built the entire bar as well as the furnishings.

I will be exhibiting at Klimat again this June.  Come out and meet me at the reception on June 11th from 7 to 10pm!  Please visit my website for details.  www.meghanoare.com


BHM: What is your creative process?


Meghan:  My Work is intuitive and emotionally influenced.  I very rarely sketch my ideas.  I usually execute the image from my head and build from there.  The pieces will sometimes morph and stray from the original idea as I tend to work on multiple paintings at the same time.

There is an editing process such as there is for writers.

My work is created for the viewer's interpretation, but I do not create the work with the audience in mind.  I do, however, want my audience to connect with my work.  It allows them to connect to me.  The viewer perceives my work by associating it with their own personal experiences.

Materials used in my work include flowers, glass, coffee, and wine amongst other unorthodox objects.  These objects add texture and fomenting depth to my paintings.  In one of my works, I received flowers as a gift, so I dried and immortalized them in a painting.  The flowers are recycled and become a tribute to the giver.

Some other interests of mine are fitness, dance and traveling.  Physical conditioning clears my mind and traveling to learn about new cultures and places inspired my work.  I enjoy dance since it is another form of art and self-expression.


BHM: How do you stay inspired, network& promote?

 Meghan:  All of my work is created in my apartment.  It is convenient and a comfortable environment where I can create any time of day.  Interacting with other cultures and being exposed to languages broadens my perspective which pushes my work to evolve as well as myself.  I also experiment with other creative projects such as photography and making clothing.  These experiments lead to revelations and new approaches to executing my work.

Promoting your work is work.  I have a website and publicize my exhibits using newspaper, social media, and card invitations.  I am always looking for new venues to showcase my work and try to get involved in many art projects related to art philosophy.  

In the past, I have created interactive and entertaining shows where I had collaborated with musicians and involved other artists in my events.  The events were a lot of work that I solely organized and have had to step away from for the moment.  In addition, some musicians and artists involved were not very appreciative or considerate which became discouraging and a waste of valuable time I need to focus on my own work.



BHM: What are some examples of your work?

Tim (12” x 18”)- I drew the skull on paper ten years ago and glazed it on Masonite.  The paint was added in 2014 and evolved into what it is today.
Bianca (18” x 18”)-  The color of the dancing woman was built from several layers staining the canvas with wine and coffee.  It adds interesting shades and shadows.  The painting was inspired by dance.
Celine (48” x 48”)- This piece contains flowers, magazine clippings, acrylic paint, and coffee.  It was emotionally charged and exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014.