Featured Artist Gwen Meharg

Abstract artist Gwen Meharg paints from the heart, expressing thoughts, emotions and hope through her artwork. More of her paintings can be seen by visiting her website.

 

“Revelation 1.1 The Beginning” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Revelation 1.1 The Beginning” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”

 

Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas. Yes, I am a horse riding artist. Everybody in Texas rides horses. Nah, that is not true, but that is what we told the neighborhood kids during summers in Maine when we were visiting grandparents. Between Wild West movies and the Dallas television show, we got away with a lot of tall tales.

 

“New Ground 2.4 Porous Boundaries” Acrylic and Collage on Paper, 30” x 22” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“New Ground 2.4 Porous Boundaries” Acrylic and Collage on Paper, 30” x 22”

 

I traded both art and horses for computers and statistics at Baylor University followed by a stint as a software engineer at General Dynamics where I snuck in several unsigned art projects for my VP. (They involved cartoons teasing the West Coast VP!)

 

“Strengthening 6.1 New Light” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Strengthening 6.1 New Light” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”

 

When kids came along (six of them, all girls except for the four in the middle) I stayed home to be Momma and to paint. I studied art harder and more diligently than I ever did computers or statistics. Long hours in front of the easel aged me prematurely. Knees ached, stairs were brutal and my feet hurt. I bought cowboy boots. One thing led to another and I found myself riding again just before my fiftieth birthday.

 

“Delicate Morning 4.2 Never Ending Dance” Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 22” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Delicate Morning 4.2 Never Ending Dance” Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 22”

 

Blue Skies, my paint horse, changed my life and my art. The dots connected, my artistic vision refocused, and I regained my health. My Revelation Series expresses the reconnecting of heart, mind, and body quite explicitly with stark reds, whites, and blacks.

 

“Delicate Morning 4.1 Costly Joy” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Delicate Morning 4.1 Costly Joy” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”

 

Blue Skies and I ride the trails around Benbrook Lake and the Texas countryside and changing seasons are directly reflected in the art. What does a cool breeze look like? Or the heat from the sun? What color is the sound of prairie grass swishing or leaves crunching beneath hooves? Breath, mine and Blue’s? What does that look like? I paint what lingers in my heart.

 

“Delicate Morning 4.5 Morning Song” Acrylic on Paper, 25” x 40” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Delicate Morning 4.5 Morning Song” Acrylic on Paper, 25” x 40”

 

Life is never all sunshine and roses, art and trail rides. Life can be cruel. Suffering of family, friends, sickness, death, and heartbreak find their way into the paintings. The series Delicate Morning deals with the loss of my sister’s first born daughter in a car crash. It offers hope of a way forward. A new normal.

 

“Hard Joy 5.1 Chosen” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Hard Joy 5.1 Chosen” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”

 

Looking back over the body of work I see hope as the common thread. I begin many works with chaos and painting chaos is so much fun. I paint until the artwork has resolved from chaos into beauty.

 

“Hard Joy 5.2 Subversive Joy” Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 22” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Hard Joy 5.2 Subversive Joy” Acrylic on Paper, 30” x 22”

 

I paint hope. Hope that regardless of life’s circumstances, there is a greater picture. All our moments, woven together, create something beautiful. I do not stop painting until the painting is beautiful, keeping in mind that pretty and beautiful are not the same. Beautiful is not afraid of scars. Beautiful is worth fighting for.

 

“Seasons 7.3 Approaching Front” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30” by artist Gwen Meharg. See her portfolio by visiting www.ArtsyShark.com

“Seasons 7.3 Approaching Front” Acrylic on Paper, 22” x 30”

 

The layer work in the paintings suspends moments in time. Each layer influences but does not determine the next. It reflects the way life works. A sum of all that has gone before. Influenced but not defined by any single circumstance. I paint a place where stories can be remembered. A place where stories can be shared. I paint hope.

 

Artist Gwen Meharg invites you to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Want to stay current on cutting edge business articles from Artsy Shark, plus artist features, and an invitation to the next Call for Artists? Click below to sign up for our twice-monthly email. You’ll get all this plus opportunities and special offers that you can’t get anywhere else!

Sign Up For Updates!

Comments

  1. Love seeing your art here Gwen! May God extend His glory through you even more!

  2. “Beautiful is worth fighting for.”

  3. Wow, great article
    Such beautiful art work and clever words accompanied it.

  4. Fantastic artworks, I believe besides fun, a lot of patience is required here.. I also love the sense of humor with which you told your story 🙂

    • Thank you. A sense of humor helps. Sometimes my husband questions my sense of humor, but we are coming up on 35 years so I think he has just given up trying to bring me to another way.

      Again , thank you for your encouraging words.

Speak Your Mind

*