We were lucky to catch up with LA-based artist Megan Frances recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Megan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My most meaningful recent project was my 2021 solo exhibition at Gallery 825. It involved more than a year of work – from conceptualization and the actual painting to installation. What I find most gratifying about having a solo show is the opportunity to present a thematically connected series of work built entirely around my own vision. It’s a thrill to launch something real from the depths of the imagination.
For the show to succeed, I knew my core idea had to be compelling. Then, to carry it off, the painting needed to be executed with the most uncompromising finesse possible. The theme focused on the idea of paying homage to the beauty of the natural world while alluding to humanity’s harmful impact on it. The title of the exhibition, Canopy of Dreams, was meant to suggest a dream premise of nature existing in pristine condition, with canopy referring to the canopy of the trees. The idea stemmed from my experience of living in the Bahamas during my formative years, when I fell in love with the lush subtropical landscape of the islands, never taking it for granted. I wanted the paintings to channel that feeling of awe. The exhibition consisted of 16 paintings of various sizes, conceived so they would flow together as an experiential presentation. By offering these works as a visual refuge, I hoped to extol the fragility and beauty of the natural world in an effort to preserve it, if only in two dimensions.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’ve been passionate about art since childhood. My mother was a collector and our home was filled with paintings that fascinated me, and art books I was drawn to. My paternal grandfather was a sculptor / carver and we had many of his pieces. One of my earliest memories was a visit to the studio of an artist in Saint John, New Brunswick, on a family trip when I was five years old. I knew I wanted to be an artist from that early. I started taking extracurricular art classes while I was in grade school. I was lucky to have some wonderful teachers who inspired and encouraged me, believed in me and supported what I was aspiring to do when I was only in my teens. After high school, I attended art school in Canada and France. There have been some detours in my art career, but I held on to my conviction about being an artist. It’s always been a through line.
I was born in Canada and my family moved to the Bahamas when I was growing up – an experience that has had a profound influence on my work as an artist and my perspective on life. Living on a subtropical island raised my consciousness about the magnificence of nature, shifting my sensibilities. I fell in love with the drama of the landscape and surrounding ocean, and treasured the feeling of being immersed in an environment filled with profuse and colorful flora. During the time I was there, my appreciation for the natural world deepened, leading to an enduring passion that continues to be a powerful source of inspiration for my paintings. The vivid colors and features of that setting are still integral to my imagery.
Although I’ve painted many subjects, my most recent work is primarily abstract with interwoven representational elements. Each painting is planned from the outset with a drawing as a jumping off point. Ultimately, I seek to create an aura of beauty, harmony of color, precision of form and a sense of balance, disrupted by flickers of the unexpected contrived to entice the viewer to linger.
My paintings have been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions and are held in private collections in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the act of inventing something concrete – and ideally beautiful and enthralling – out of nothing. Starting with just an idea, a fleeting thought, the concept may be entirely fanciful, or deeply serious. The next step is to recognize the potential merit in the idea and have the need to actualize it, then finally produce the work, bringing it to fruition and sharing it with the world. Except for having a child, the process of creating a work of art is the most rewarding act I’ve ever experienced. As a female artist and mother, creation and pro-creation seem connected for me. Aside from the fulfillment of creating art, it’s immensely rewarding when viewers respond to it in a positive way. I’m especially grateful to the curators who have featured my work in their shows. Most recently, a selection of my paintings was included in the exhibition, Solace / Sublime at Angels Gate Cultural Center, curated by Molly Enholm Velazco. Next spring, my work will be shown in an exhibition at the Sasse Museum in Upland, curated by Lucinda Lavaas. It’s also gratifying to receive critical acclaim. And of course, I really appreciate my collectors! When someone acquires one of my paintings – it can’t get more rewarding than that!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
It’s important to me to make works of art that contribute both beauty and meaning. I believe beauty is important and I don’t shy away from aspiring to that ideal. At the same time, I don’t want my paintings to simply be beautiful in a superficial way. There has to be a deeper significance propelling and anchoring them. Beneath the composition, form and color, my paintings are driven by more complex concerns which are reflected in the work in subtle ways that may not be obvious to the viewer. In my current series, the underlying motivation is an awareness of the degradation of the natural world because of man’s indifference and neglect. I strive to convey this in symbolic ways, through understated discordant threads in the paintings that are intended to introduce ambiguity and disrupt the beauty. For me, that tension is key to making the work come alive.
Contact Info:
- Website: meganfrances.com
- Instagram: @meganfrancesart
Image Credits
Faith Joyvon Jordan Rodriguez Stephen Kennedy