I am a mixed media artist living in southern Maryland. My military husband and I have three amazing children together. With a busy family, two dogs, and an aging cat, our lives are full of craziness. This craziness drives me to my in-home studio for what seem like very short moments of peace and quiet. These moments help me keep my sanity! Lately, I've been working with acrylic paint, torn paper collage, and graphite.
I've simplified my art and try to remain focused on what I love-- color, shapes, lines, and texture. While I sort of stumbled onto this style while experimenting with different media, it has come to mean a lot to me. My thoughts are, "Why can't something strange looking be painted in a beautiful way...with rich, fun colors and sophisticated shading and blending?" So, I try to do just that...and I've begun thinking about our notion of beauty in the world. To me, it's easy to find ourselves boxed into a limiting idea of what "normal" is. I got tired of painting "pretty" faces or "perfectly proportioned" faces or things...what others may perceive as "normal" looking. I thought WHO is normal? What IS normal? That word is so annoying because it's different for different people. I wanted to paint freely without thoughts of "normal". So that's what I'm doing and I'm having so much fun! I draw quickly, as a child would, and paint with the skills I've acquired as an adult. These bizarre beauties are colorful, whimsical, original creations painted on paper, cardboard, wood or canvas.
I've simplified my art and try to remain focused on what I love-- color, shapes, lines, and texture. While I sort of stumbled onto this style while experimenting with different media, it has come to mean a lot to me. My thoughts are, "Why can't something strange looking be painted in a beautiful way...with rich, fun colors and sophisticated shading and blending?" So, I try to do just that...and I've begun thinking about our notion of beauty in the world. To me, it's easy to find ourselves boxed into a limiting idea of what "normal" is. I got tired of painting "pretty" faces or "perfectly proportioned" faces or things...what others may perceive as "normal" looking. I thought WHO is normal? What IS normal? That word is so annoying because it's different for different people. I wanted to paint freely without thoughts of "normal". So that's what I'm doing and I'm having so much fun! I draw quickly, as a child would, and paint with the skills I've acquired as an adult. These bizarre beauties are colorful, whimsical, original creations painted on paper, cardboard, wood or canvas.
Please contact me if you would like to purchase an original or a print...just click on the "contact me" tab at the top!
Megan Hoover,
mixed media artist and educator
