A Message from the Artist…

Born in 1994, I draw from many aspects of my life and outside of it for inspiration. From my background, I am mixed race. I am enrolled with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. My mother is enrolled with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana. She is also Blackfeet (Browning, MT) and Cree (Rocky Boy, MT) as well as with French, and Chicana heritage. My father is mixed of Irish, German, Ashkenazi Jewish, Swiss, and broadly European heritage. I know less of my father’s background due to my parents’ early divorce when I was four or five years old. This led to my early exploration of visual art as a way to cope with painful emotions, and likely just because that was what I liked doing as soon as I able to use my hands when even younger. But because I am mixed race, I do not want to approach creating my work from one cultural lens.

I always approach my work from a place of feeling, mood, and overall emotional states. I consider what the goal of the piece is, whether it is for a client or as a personal project, or as a project that I want to express and represent a specific narrative.

I am a very emotional person, and art is very near and dear to me because it helps me cope with my harsh past. Creating is a way for me to try and face my traumas and my problems in healthy ways instead of turning to harsh substances or giving up entirely.

When I use vibrant colors or no color at all, I carefully analyze why these colors work together, what elements and principles of design would best help me express my needs for the project. This is also why I am a multimedia artist; different media may better help me express what I want, what I find interesting, or as a challenge or as a way to explore.

With my experiences, art helps in many ways in all sorts of transitions. You can be feeling turmoil inside without knowing how to relieve it or how to talk about it. If you don't personally create artwork, maybe you find some art that helps you understand that turmoil. It can help you feel seen and heard without words or the means to say it out loud.

“My girl, you have a gift. You have to share it or you waste it.”

Through Western education, early schooling in elementary through some college, I was taught not necessarily how to draw or paint (I explored much on my own with gift sets I was given) but of the principles and elements of design. I fell in love with analyzing composition, line, form. I learned some color theory in a new way from the knowledge my grandma shared with me. There is this determination of perfection of technique in Western education, which I disagree with.

Because of being immersed in the colorful world of powwows soon after my parents’ split, I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandmother. She showed me the colors used in different ways of beadwork, of blankets, of regalia, of Native paintings. I was taught to look at nature, to look at how colors live together. I was taught by her that, “My girl, you have a gift. You have to share it or you waste it.” I learned the beginnings of the value of storytelling.

Now, I am less concerned with technique than I am with trying to tell my stories. I hope to show how much colors speak to me and to express their vibrancy and to push the emotions they can tell. I paint, draw, sew. I first began with watercolors, then to acrylics. For my future endeavors I seek to keep learning more about public art; receive additional art residencies; keep growing my portfolio of contractual work; to have a solo gallery show; and to enroll in a baccalaureate program with an emphasis on painting. My artistic journey is going to be life-long. I will always seek learning and exploring.

Thank You for Visiting GobsOfColor.com

Megan McDermott