Interview with Megan Virona
What inspired you to become an artist?
My parents and grandma. I would paint, draw, and be creative with my mother as a child. My dad would take me out to have a “photography” day where we would take a ton of landscape images. My grandma, a photographer, would share her beautiful shots and success stories as a photographer. Leading into school, it fascinated me to see all my classmates working on the same projects, using the same colors and tools. Somehow every single project came out differently. I got to see their personalities come out when I was observing others. Impatient, Focused, Frustrated, Desire – many emotions. I loved that art pulled these emotions out of me as well. I loved seeing these physical projects come together; holding them, feeling the detailed result was incredibly satisfying and I wanted more of that feeling.
What shaped your art style?
My art is emotionally driven. Also, my obsession with wildlife and nature. I like to display a lot of circles into my work both intentionally and unintentionally. Circles represent many things: portals, cycles, completion, void.
I think feeling emotions that bring out these patterns when I’m working give it such a personal touch – and kind of a theme in my works. I feel very intense emotions. Whatever I feel, I choose. You will find very intense, strong, deep, and dark shades. You won’t find pink pastels or anything cute or comforting. As time passes in your life things get deeper and more intense. I love this about my work; the colors are my pride.
How does your environment affect your work?
When I paint, I’m usually somewhere dry, dull and dead. I think that urges me to grab that paintbrush to fill those areas with something exciting.
When painting I’m usually in a dreamlike state, I’m imagining a beautiful nature-filled scene. Green, Water, Tropical or Jungle environments. I mix that scene in my head with the intense emotions I feel, and my results are a perfect mix.
For my photography, I only shoot in those environments that I’m daydreaming about. That’s why you’ll find my paintings very closely relating to my photo work. I insist on being somewhere green, nature-filled, and full of life. I will compare my two hobbies, seeing them intertwine. Same thing, but different types of art. One the physical realm, and one a fantasy realm of daydream.
One thing I want to also express is the amazement of how spiritual your artwork can be. I’d like to share this piece: Carlos Antonio. I created the scene in my head of a diver, underwater while I was daydreaming about being near an Asian ocean. A few months later, I found myself meeting an actual, real-life diver. His name was Carlos Antonio, who took me scuba diving, giving me lessons of wisdom. By the time I came back home to the bland desert, I had already forgotten all about that piece. The piece resurfaced (no pun intended) one day looking through my art. There it was. That same piece I painted. This time, a memory is attached. The story of Carlos Antonio.
Tell me about your artistic journey and education.
I tried taking both art and photography classes in high school. I thought to myself “I must not be serious about my art if I’m not choosing to learn it in school”. I was then put in a box and failed both of those classes for not following the rules. The best source of education comes from your heart and feelings. Once I focused on the “feel”, my work started getting interesting. Learn your tools of course but keep your eyes and heart open. This led me to the desire to learn other artists, techniques, mediums, etc. With that desire I found myself exploring the world for inspiration and education, not stuck in a box with the letter “A” to show others.
What does your creative process look like?
When painting, my creative process is messy. The set up looks like this: layout blank canvases, paper, index cards, anything blank all over the floor. Next, I throw a bunch of colors on the ground or on the canvases. I will paste acrylic directly onto a couple of canvases and start to finger paint. I add color to each blank piece then again make an emotionally based decision on the next color to paste. I love mixing the colors with my hands sometimes I’ll use leaves or sticks or rocks in creating my work. I use different stroking techniques with my hands mostly using my index finger. I always keep index cards with me to transfer my art while working as little souvenirs on the journey to the finished piece. Sometimes I find myself really liking the index card many pieces so much that they will be the highlight of my session. I have these index cards listed on my shop as a souvenir for the other people who want to follow me on the journey to creating my finished piece.
As for my photography, I only shoot in my fantasy world. You won’t find any of my work in a desert or bland setting. The process can get messy, dirty, and risky. My cameras have been through a lot. I like to shoot in the rain, mud, and wet settings. Patience is required to get a good shot. Sometimes you’ll be focused on a bug for 20 minutes just waiting for it to land on a stick. Moments like that force you to stand back and observe. Sometimes I find myself rolling my eyes, saying “land on the stick already!” and I’m immediately humbled for thinking something so silly. We are so impatient to get the world to cater to us. Photography is very humbling. It irritates me when I can’t get a good shot easily. This hobby just highlights traits that I need to work on. It’s the most satisfying feeling ever, going back home and uploading your beautiful shots onto your phone or computer reviewing them at the end of the day.
Megan Virona
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