Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Welch.
Hi Megan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started oil painting when I was a kid on Sunday afternoons with my grandmother. We would follow along with Bob Ross and paint landscapes or we would paint or draw things I wanted to. In my undergrad at UNF I majored in Fine Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. After receiving my BFA I took a ten year break from my education and became a teacher in Duval county and eventually in St Johns county. In that time I got married, had a baby and completely lost any connection outside of my art classroom to any kind of real creative practice. In 2015 I realized that my daughter was growing up not knowing what had previously been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. Every night after she went to bed I would spend a few hours painting and it started to fill the gaps between who I had been and who I was. I felt like I was becoming a whole person again. In 2016 I decided to go back to school and chose Savannah College of Art & Design. They were one of the only online M.F.A. programs of their caliber and offered an educator scholarship to me. It wasn’t easy, my husband worked nights and our daughter was now in kindergarten, but we made it work and in 2019, I graduated with a 4.0, I have never been a traditionally successful student but I really came to life in that program and it was the catalyst for a lot of positive changes in life. Today I’m still a high school teacher and I maintain a creative practice that brings me to my studio most days after school. Summers I devote more time to painting. My long term goal is to teach in higher education and become a college professor, as a late bloomer, I’m still holding out hope.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I started taking my work more seriously I realized that all the work I knew how to make were pieces I wasn’t afraid to make. Artists can live and die in their comfort zones and that just wasn’t something I was willing to do anymore. That being said, there were real gaps in my skill level and it took a lot of hours to get my work to a higher level. I knew I wanted to paint portraits and figurative works and that took persistence. I think people often think that artists are born the way they are but it’s not really skill that they’re born with, it’s persistence to show up, every day. Show up when it’s easy just as wholeheartedly as you show up when you know it’s going to be rough and full of failure. That’s what makes an artist.
Another struggle for me has been the personal quality of my work. I paint my family, my friends… my authentic life. There will always be people who love what I do and others that don’t find value in it. I’ve been lucky to love teaching as much as I do because it’s afforded me more freedom in my creative practice. Ultimately I don’t have to sell my work to make a living so I can work from a place that is authentic to my lived experience and not worry about marketability.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a painter working in oil. My work focuses on mundane, everyday moments that make up my life. In my work I search for truthful representations of my subjects and their environments. I love painting texture, pattern and people. I also do commissioned pieces when they fit with the aesthetic of my work. I’m not sure what sets me apart from other artists like me, most of the artists I know are seeking and striving for truth in their work and to create art that is more than the sum of its parts.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family and my chosen family, my friends. There is nothing we have in this world that’s more important than our connection to the ones we love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meganwelchartworks.com
- Instagram: @meganwelchartworks
