Megan's Art Space

I make art for myself, to understand myself better and as a way of expressing something. Since starting Art School my confidence has been knocked, I have questioned myself and have met some of the loveliest, most creative people I know. I immerse myself into the art world to start a dialogue and communicate with people. I am always interested to hear about other peoples' work and the reasons behind what they make. I am able to enhance my own practice through this and hopefully meet some interesting people along the way. I have found a new 'confidence' when it comes to talking, making and appreciating art. This has probably come from constantly being involved with art and not really knowing how to switch off. This is something that gets me down and leaves me questioning myself. The brain is a funny thing that decides to challenge everything you want to do. However I somehow push on through. This confidence at times seems foreign to me and leaves me feeling even more anxiou...

Kerry Harding currently has a special collection on display in Beside the Wave in Falmouth. This body of work is on display until the 22nd of February. I am always interested in the work that is put on display in this gallery because they have always have an engaging collection on display. The work on display in the window titled 'Bawden Yellow' has already sold and I can see why. Harding has a real eye for combining texture and colour. Each time I pass the gallery I am drawn to this piece because of the vibrant use of yellow. Kerry has shown work all over the world and nature is very much a motif within her work.  She plays on this idea of abstraction of the landscape. I think this is a beautiful idea because people's interpretation of the cornish coastline and environment is different. However she has been able to articulate individual features of this landscape and I think the viewer will find some way to engage with this. The beauty of her ...

Over the recent weeks I have been heavily influenced by several photographers within my work. A lot of this inspiration has come through their use of light, composition and subject matter. I have been using found imagery from old national geographic magazines from the 1960s/70s within my collage work, however I am now wanting to push my practice into using my own imagery. I thought I would share a few Photographers who have inspired me so you can check out their work. Becky Short How Becky captures to elements is beautiful. This piece in particular has depicted drama and movement of nature. However I was drawn to it because of the almost painterly qualities the image has. Millie Elliot// Millie and her work is always an inspiration. She is someone who is not afraid to go beyond the boundaries of just using what is in front of her. She has a real talent for using props to distort the image and allow the viewer to question what is in front of them. Her work is alway...

Amy Hodkin is a student at Leeds College of Art on the Print Surface and Textile Design course. I have been a follower of her work for some time and admire her ability to use line in such a spontaneous, characterful way. When I see her work I instantly know it is her because of the use of mark and colour. We decided to do an artist swap to gain an insight into each others practice and way of working. Amy sent me an artists statement where she describes herself as a 'playful print designer with a love for drawing and a passion for textiles. Through collage and screen printing she combines stylised drawing, bright colours and expressive, textural marks to create fun and playful designs. It was a real treat to be given some of Amy's work. Her work has so much texture and personality within each mark and application of paper and colour.  Amy has her own blog/website   where she frequently talks about her own work and practice.         ...

Emily is currently studying Illustration at Falmouth University. I was shown her work by a friend who thought I would like it due to her interest with nature, collage and mark making. I have huge admiration for young illustrators whose distinct style and way of working could be that of someone who is well established in what they do. This is why the work of Emily caught my attention, because she has such a talent for combining different elements to creative exciting and emotional narratives. I already see a lot of the stuff she is producing being translated onto cards, and prints , etc. I definitely think she will go far!  She uses media in a very emotive way. I believe this piece has been created using gauche, a medium I'm not familiar with but the use of layering and colour in this piece is particularly strong. I'm prone to liking a good mustard yellow and combined with the repetitive use of line contrasts with the organic shapes and use of green.  Her work ha...

I first came across Daniel Broadley through his collaboration with Kate Mcgill and the band Meadowlark whose beautiful raw music I listen to on repeat. I was fortunate enough to see them perform at the end of the year in London. However I also follow Dan's Instagram and film work and have for some time now. I wanted to share his work with you because I think he has a real talent for capturing the landscape and the way people interact with the spaces around them. Composition is key within photography and it is through following his work I have gained a better understanding about the framing of composition and how this really impacts a shot. He has a real ability to create an atmospheric narrative with his work. The second photograph captures a ghostly figure and just has so much emotion to it. Such a beautiful photo and one of my favourites that includes people within the composition. The beauty of his photography is that he really captures the sense of space within the land...

Yesterday I got my assessment results back from the first semester. It gave me a chance to see what the tutors thought about my working process and current body of work. I was really keen to see how I could improve and reflect to improve my practice further. I tend to dive straight into anything creative and if I have learnt anything from first term it is that I need to take my time with things. I say this a lot but I actually need to do it. I have three years for this degree. I've broken down the key areas where I need to improve on and have thought about ways to tackle them. 1) Take your time and reflect// This is a big one, and I even said I would do it at the start of my degree however I have gone straight away, almost too quickly with the way I work and think. It has seen me burn out this term already. My problem is I want to keep going with what I love to do and don't see this. I need to take breaks and learn that this is ok to do. 2) Working longer on thin...