We were lucky to catch up with Meghan Sours recently and have shared our conversation below.

Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My art education has been scattered through the years, but I don’t think there was anything I could have done to speed up the process, especially when access to information online was not what it is today. Right out of high school, I thought the only option to learn art was to follow a BFA program. Art school was a tremendous amount of work, but I graduated dissatisfied. How was it possible that after four years of training, I still felt like I didn’t know how to draw or paint? Why were artists like Bouguereau or Bastien-Lepage, the old masters I greatly admired, snubbed in place of postmodernist self-expression?

I scoured the internet, trying to find some way to learn contemporary classical realism. Did such a thing even exist? My search led me to ateliers, an apprentice-style training predominantly based on 19th century art academies. This led me to copying from Bargue plates, a site-size drawing curriculum that trains hand-eye coordination to render an exact master copy, encouraging astute observation and refinement. I later took a drawing bootcamp at the Grand Central Atelier in NYC where I learned about cast drawing, value compression, comparative measurement and form modeling. I’ve been blessed to have also studied under William Whitaker, Timothy Stoltz and Michelle Tully and am currently a resident artist at East Oaks Studio in Cary, NC. Sometimes I’m frustrated that my art education has taken as long as it has, but I’ve learned invaluable lessons from each of my mentors. I’ve also realized there are some lessons that can only be learned over the passage of time and through earnest persistence. Looking back on my journey, I remember how lonely I felt in my search to learn as the old masters did. I definitely don’t feel lonely now.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I was in art school, I had a part-time job working as an art teacher assistant for a second grade class. The art teachers were a husband and wife team that had an infectious passion for both art and working with children. I admired how the duo instructed; not talking down to the kids, but meeting them where they were while also encouraging challenging concepts in a fun, experiential way. I was encouraged to try teaching as well. I worked for after-school clubs, provided private lessons and taught part-time at a public charter school. As I started my own family, it became draining trying to juggle home life with teaching while also finding time to make my own art. Giving up teaching seemed like the only solution. Then, in October 2023, I listened to a podcast about passive income that changed my trajectory. The message shared in the podcast encouraged listeners to create a passive income using unique paths and abilities: based on my experiences, what could I offer that no one else could?

By April 2024, 60 Minute Art was born. My husband, brother and I started a series of drawing videos that uses classical techniques in a show, rather than tell, method. Our tagline is “to create a masterpiece in under an hour.” Much of beginner instruction focuses on art history, studying the art elements and principles of design. These things can sap the excitement out of creating when the artist doesn’t yet understand their purpose. My goal with each video is to dive immediately into drawing, while keeping the instruction light-hearted and easily digestible for all ages and levels. I want the end result of the lesson to be their masterpiece, to give students a boost of confidence in their potential and ability.

The instruction I integrate into 60 Minute Art I also use in my own studio practice.
In my personal art, I work primarily in drawing and oil painting using an indirect method. My focus centers on creating contemplative and intimate portrayals, particularly of women and children. I use a meticulous approach, paying close attention to the interplay of light and form. With each portrait, my ultimate aim is to uplift the human spirit, capturing not just the physical likeness but also the subtle emotions and inner story, to render a portrait that is both individual and timeless.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

A few years ago, I was part of a volunteer art program at a cancer research hospital. The goal of the program was to brighten the patients’ rooms with art, to ease their pain even if for only a few minutes. It was hard and heartbreaking service, and a lot of patients turned me away. I was supposed to visit with them while I drew pictures, often something of their choosing. One of the most memorable patients I met was a man on an extended fast before his scheduled surgery. He expressed how hungry he was, and requested that I draw him a large bowl of pasta. While I drew layers of noodles, we talked about art and he shared how his family had actually been neighbors with the Wyeths, a renowned artist family spanning three generations! I was supposed to encourage him, but he encouraged me too. I never saw him again, but I pray that he got his heaping bowl of noodles. Lived experiences can connect us, but art makes it possible to connect when we seemingly have nothing in common. We are all undeniably unique, but the reward of being an artist is to learn that we’re also not all that different.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There are always exceptions, but many artists are more receptive to what others are feeling. We think and feel deeply. We experience high highs and low lows, the value of our worth intimately tied to the work we produce. We need quiet spaces to feel creative, whether in the trees, curled in bed or in our own minds. We are constant daydreamers and can stare at our work for hours, mulling over the course it will take, what changes need to be made, or whether we should just scrap it all and deliberate on the purpose of our existence. Small talk and staying relatable are a struggle. We want to dive right into the big questions that keep us awake at night. Artists spend much of their time with their solitary thoughts trying to define what it means to be human, to convey these hills and valleys through paint and paper. It is hard and vulnerable work, but the goal is always the same: to create something of visual substance that is raw and real and felt and touched by one human to, hopefully and soulfully, connect with another.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meghansours.com
• Instagram: meggiesours
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@60minuteart

Image Credits

Bryan Sours