Megan McCarthy

2024 is a milestone for Megan Gael McCarthy Art. It will be her fifth year in business, and she is going into it with the intention to make it the best possible experience that she can.

In the past four years Megan has accomplished many of the goals she had when she embarked on this art journey, one of which was becoming a part of an art community. Megan is a member of the Boulder Art Association and Open Studios Boulder, both of which rallied last year to help keep the doors open at the R Gallery in downtown Boulder. This gallery has meant a lot to her personally – her first acceptance into a juried exhibit, her first gallery sale, her solo exhibit where she sold the most paintings – and she's not alone in my appreciation. Boulder demonstrated the importance of art in their city, and she hopes we are able to keep the lights on for many years to come.

Last year Megan illustrated her first book, Three Yellow Balloons from Ukraine by John Thomas, who is donating all proceeds to help Ukrainian orphans. Megan set up and manned her first art festival tent on her own at Art on the Green. She collaborated with fellow female artists on a group exhibit that will be hung later this year, Exploring the Connection between Nature, the Feminine and Spirit. And she continued to learn from, admire and absorb the talent from the wonderful artists in Wilderness Art Studios and beyond. And Megan had her highest sale to date thanks to the talented Susan Massey at the Fig and Ivy in Longmont.

In 2019 Megan had an epiphany during a Muse Destination painting workshop at La Porte Peinte in Noyers-sur-Serein, France – that she had been depriving herself of something essential to her emotional health and combatting depression - creativity. And in 2022 she had another epiphany about her painting process. She began to start her pieces with the idea of something representational, then focus on the more abstract elements as she completed it. Blurring the lines between two different styles. And in May this year Megan will be completing a fellowship back where this journey began, with the amazing directress of La Porte Peinte, Michelle Anderson. Megan knows her work will never be the same, and she cannot wait to see what that winds up looking like!

Art is the most natural form of anti-depressant, and something that is now a part of Megan's life no matter what. Learning that lesson, and being able to prioritize creativity in her life, is the most important thing that has happened to her in years. Megan is so grateful for all of the people who support her decision and encourage her to continue.