meet the artist
so… i must be the only mexican in the history of the world to be called megan. but then again, straddling two worlds is the norm for chicanos all over this country “ni de aquí ni de allá,” we say: not from here, nor there.
speaking of straddling, i read once that artists don’t belong to one world; they travel between worlds of the real, the imagined, the remembered, and bring back stories that teach us how to feel. so let’s stop trying to exist in this one-dimensional world, when our souls were meant to travel many.
since my earliest memories, i dreamt of becoming an artist. but like many childhood dreams, life happened; layers of societal narratives and identities were imposed, and my dream became dormant—but not dead—while i pursued nonprofit work, a master’s degree and volunteer service abroad.
I believe that change is possible through human connection, connection to nature, enlightenment, loyalty to longing, community, love, and of course, art.
thank you for being here, just as you are.
why portraiture?
the first and most obvious connection is that at the root of social justice and advocacy, is a love for humanity and I love how the human face contains multitudes. a face can express love, fear, joy, hope, shock, pain, illness: 28 emotions can be expressed and identified. each face has what feels like infinite colors, plains, shapes: the bit of blue under the eye where the skin is thin and delicate, the shadow under a cheek bone, the muscle of the jaw, the slight purple hue in the lip. and don’t get me started on the organs and orifices that are so weird and beautiful.
every single human face is unique and honest and tells its own complex story, if we have the capacity to notice and listen.
my philosophy
art recenters us in the power of each the now-moment
it compels slow down and notice, when the world is begging us us to rush and zone out
art gives us the permission to play, dream, experiment, tap in to something deeper
it helps us to find and express the beauty, the joy, the ugliness (and everything between) within us and around us.
art brings us back into the body: feeling textures, temperatures, and pressures of materials with our hands, connecting us to the material world around us
when words can’t cut it, art helps us to express ourselves. by dancing to the rhythm of our ancestors, singing our heart’s song, reimagining and creating the world of our dreams.
and of course, in the face of destruction, the act of creation is everything.