Visual Art – Pittsburgh
Pablo Picasso once said, “if you give meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are.” My work tends to be on the experimental side of the art spectrum. Although I love the outcome of my work, I am more interested in the artistic process and how I get to my finish product. For instance, how the paint interacts with the shape of the canvas, how I can manipulate it to go in certain directions, and how I react to the designs that were created organically. I do everything I can to try and create a compelling and interesting work of art. When viewers look at my paintings, they see different ideas within it and a lot of the times it’s not my original ideas. My intention is never to have the viewers look at my work and know what my ideas were, yes, I will explain what is happening and what my inspiration is, but it’s more about what they see and how they respond to it. I want a conversation to arise when people view my art.
My influences range from the ripples created by movement in water, to celestial bodies in the universe, to the master painters in art history. There are some artists that I look to for ideas and educational reasons. Glenn Brown, Vincent Van Gogh, Cosmina, Pedro Campos, Piet Mondrian, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Gerhard Richter, Philipp Karcher, and Stanley Twardowicz. These artists all have different styles but together they bring a total artistic inspiration. However, as I am growing as an artist myself, I find that I am my biggest influence. My desire to be different and better than before drives me to create these intricate pieces. I don’t want to be the next Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko, instead I want to be the first Megan Grindle.
I studied under Amy Schissel and Najiun Zhang at West Virginia University, it was here where I earned my bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and minor in art history. During my undergraduate career I had the opportunity to intern at The Westmorland Museum of American Art where I studied under the chief curator, Barbara Jones. During my internship, the museum was in the process of moving to a new building and with this in mind, Barbara Jones was setting up a grand opening exhibition. I assisted with creating a model of the new building to help visualize the gallery exhibition; I organized documents, and helped with everyday tasks. I also had the opportunity to intern at the Carnegie Museum of Art where I was a teaching assistant under the direction of the program manager of Experimental Learning for Children and Families, Lisa Rhein. During my internship I taught children from the ages of five to sixteen about the pieces in the galleries and how to create their own masterpieces.
As of right now I am currently living and creating in Jersey City, New Jersey. I am working with a private art gallery, Kate Oh Gallery in New York City. I am constantly surrounding myself with new and innovative ideas and influences. I am excited to see where I go as an artist and I hope to create art for my entire life.