By Meredith Galyon
Raider Shakedown Reporter
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. – Meghan O’Connor, a professor of art at Middle Tennessee
State University, is exhibiting a new collection of her work at the Space Gallery
in downtown Nashville in December.
O’Connor,
31, has been participating in juried shows and fundraising events with other
artists, but this was her first solo show since moving to the Nashville area.
The exhibit, titled “Inevitable,” was a collection of 13 images that O’Connor
had created throughout the past two years. Most of the work was done within the last three months,
while some dated back to 2010.
“I
work really well with deadlines, so when I found the opportunity to have this
show, I thought, ‘Yes, I want to do it,’” O’Connor said. “It has been insightful to see
the different periods of work and to see the improvement between them.”
The
title of the show is after one of O’Connor’s most recent works called
“Inevitable,” which features bird imagery that has become a part of her
signature style. In terms of content, these images depict different aspects of
human nature, such as relationships and how we treat each other.
“I
see a lot of deceptive behaviors that go on in the public realm, like with
communication in the mass media, but also relationships between each other,
whether we’re in a loving relationship or a not so loving one,” O’Connor said.
“The piece that’s titled 'Inevitable' is a reflection on our relationship with
technology. I think a lot about the lack of intimacy that we have with each
other with all of the technological advances we have, like Facebook, that allow
us to interact but on a less intimate level.”
Other
noted themes in her work are those of struggle, isolation and deception, which
she combines with bird and sheep imagery to create layers of transparency that
show different levels of deception within the image, and
relate it to human nature. Another noted piece called “Disambiguative
Communications” was inspired by a very personal experience, and is the artist’s
favorite piece from the show.
“’Disambiguative
Communications’ is very special for me. When I was living in Murfreesboro, I
was going to the veteran’s home once a week and working with the residents,”
O’Connor said. “We had a resident die, and that piece was kind of inspired by
his death. It’s about ascension, essentially, because when you’re in these
situations where it’s about power, and somebody else is in charge, you see the people that have the power sometimes take advantage of the people
that don’t have it. That’s what that piece is really about.”
While
the two largest pieces were woodcuts, the rest of them incorporated different
techniques of lithography and printmaking, as well as embossment and some
elements of collage. O’Connor uses a Bavarian limestone for the lithographic
process, which is a smooth and porous surface that is used for drawing with a
special crayon that contains animal fat. It is printed with water, which protects the non-image area, while the greasy ink is attracted to the greasy drawing material. Using other techniques such as
embossment and collagraphy allowed O’Connor more freedom with the controlled
drawings.
“I’m
very meticulous with my drawing techniques, but I try to balance that with the
other techniques like the collagraph plates and the embossed monotypes,”
O’Connor said. “That’s a little bit of a looser way of working that helps me
give some variety in my studio practice, as well as complement it, and also
helps me keep my sanity.”
The
success of the show is still something that O’Connor is trying to process.
After selling some of her work that night, the question of how to measure
success as an artist is becoming harder to answer.
“Buying,
of course, feels wonderful,” O’Connor said. “It’s a validation that you’re
doing something right, at least right enough for someone to buy your work and
put it in their home.”
But
despite the excitement of securing appreciation from others, internal approval
is still one of the most important things in terms of evaluating success.
“A big goal of
mine was finding a way of working that balanced repetition with variety, so I
feel really pleased in that regard,” O’Connor said. “I feel like the consistent framing technique that I used, the lithography combined with collography, the
subject matter being either sheep imagery or bird imagery, and the color
schemes being very similar created a cohesive body of work, and I’m really
pleased with that.”
O’Connor’s work
will be displayed in the Space Gallery, 44 Arcade Building in downtown Nashville, through Dec. 31 and will be
available for purchase in the gallery as well as in her online Etsy store called Curly Meg Studio.
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