London Sketching pt 1 + Manito Art Fest!

Come see me this Saturday, 10-6 pm at the Manito Park Art Festival! It’s always a great show. Us artists will be set up on the lawn next to the Duncan Gardens!

I’m also teaching “Plein Air Sketching at Manito” class on the 13th, 9-11 am through the Corbin Art Center. There’s still space and I’d love to have you! Sign up here! All skill levels welcome!

In London they have Uber Boat! We mostly rode the Tube to get around, but we did have one day where we got to ride the boat and it was fascinating to get a completely different view of the city from the Thames. I’m not sure what this bridge is named, but you can see St. Paul’s in the background along with a ton of construction cranes.

This is Millenium Bridge-If you’ve seen the Harry Potter movies (the last ones), then you have seen this bridge! The pointy building in the back is called the Shard.

I got to fulfill a long time dream and sketched in the Victoria and Albert Museum with mom one evening. I’d love to draw at the British Museum too but it was CRAZY packed when we were there.

We were running around so much, it was hard to find time to draw so a good part of my sketchbook is “What can I see from this restaurant table?” because waiting for food is one of the few times we weren’t on the go. Anything is interesting when you draw it and it builds my memory of the trip even if it isn’t a famous tourist destination. Always look for reasons to draw rather than to not draw!

Done on the Tube. The mother/daughter pair on the right “made” me and asked to see the drawing. I think the Orthodox gentleman eventually noticed that I was drawing him but pretended I wasn’t. Both are perfectly fine responses for me.

Our flat was just across from this fabulous building-the historic Michelin Tire home office! The whole place is a shrine to tires and car racing and elaborately decorated. It now houses three restaurants: a one star Michelin upstairs, a French restaurant on the main floor and an oyster bar in the foyer. This is just the top part of the building because I couldn’t fit the whole thing on one page and get in all the details I wanted.

Here’s the bottom half with people dining alfresco and some fun decorative details that I noticed on the building.

We ended up having lunch in the French restaurant. They reused old Michelin Man decorated ash trays to hold butter and we learned that the motto of the Michelin Man is “Nunc Est Bibendim”: Now is the Time to Drink!

Coming up: Pt 2 of my London trip and what I’m up to in the latter half of June!

See me at the Perry Farmer's Market!

Hi guys!

Since I designed the poster for the Perry Street Farmer’s Market, I’ve been invited to have my work at the market this Thursday (tomorrow). I’ll be there 3-7. I’d love to see you!

Keep your eyes peeled. I’ll be sending an email update about my trip to London and all the sketching I did there soon!

Love,

Megan

Off the WaitList, Into BRRRZAAR!

Yes! Terrain decided to expand Brrrzaar to an extra room at River Park Square so I am off the waitlist and going to be at Brrzaar 10-8 THIS SATURDAY! Here’s the trick though-I and about 10 other artists are all going to be tucked away in the Kress Gallery. That name may sound familiar and that’s because it is the room just past the food court next to the bathroom on the 3rd floor so we’re definitely a bit out of the way. Still, I’m staying positive-people always need to use the bathroom so there should be steady traffic! This will be my last holiday show (FOR REAL this time!) of the year so if you’re looking to get puzzles, prints, calendars or art directly from me, now is the time! See you Saturday!

I’ve also been busy working on paintings for my group show “Listening for an Echo” at the Terrain Gallery-the theme is farming and rural subjects. Above is a just finished barn interior. Below is a study of a neighbor’s corral at sunset.

Put Friday, January 5th at the Terrain Gallery on your calendar to come see this show-there will be two painters (myself and Karen Mobley) and two photographers who I have only recently met: Abigail Evans and Pam Deutschman. I can’t wait to see what the other women have made!

2024 Spokane Calendar & Little Spokane Show & Free Urban Sketching!

Hello everyone!

I’ve had a few new people sign up for this newsletter so I wanted to pop in to update you all about upcoming things! Make sure to read all the way down to the bottom details about a free fun adventure!

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First off I have my 2024 calendar in stock in my online shop-you can buy it here and at the From Here store in River Park Square in down town Spokane starting on Thursday the 21st. I had previously said I would be taking pre-orders at the Little Spokane River Artist Studio tour on September 30th, but the rules concerning what reproductions have been clarified to me and it turns out I will not be able to do that so if you’d like a calendar please buy one through my website and we can arrange local pick up! I’ll also have them with me at 33 Artists on November 4th if you’d like to buy directly from me in person!

Here’s a video flip through of the calendar!

The Little Spokane River Artist Studio tour is happening on September 30th. I’ll be at Collista’s studio. I’ll have a bunch of new paintings with me including a special series of mini-paintings inspired by the night sky out on the Palouse. Scroll down to get a sneak peek. These little guys (3” x 5”-5”x 7”) will be a great way to get a piece of original art at a great price!

Steptoe Stars

Govan Schoolhouse Stars

I also had a great time teaching urban sketching at the Northwest Museum and Culture recently. We painted the white mansion at the end of the block. Thanks to all of my lovely students!

If you would like to take a class with me, check out my events page for upcoming classes!

Finally the thing you scrolled down all the way to the bottom for! All of you are invited to come sketch in Riverfront Park with me on Saturday the 23rd 4-5:30. We’ll meet at the Rotary Fountain. There won’t be any instruction, nor supplies provided but I thought it would be fun to gather as a last hurrah of the plein air season! Hope to see you there!

Event Changes & Updates!

Hello everyone!

This is just a quick note to say that I will not be at the Urban Art Co-op Show this weekend as planned because I am snowed in! But if you can, please do stop by and visit the other artists-they are all great!

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I will still be at Brrrzaar on the 17th and would love to see you then! You can also buy my artwork any time from my website shop and at the From Here Store in the downtown mall (the Christmas Tree Elegance Trees are in the hall right outside them!

My calendars were featured in the Spokesman Review Gift Guide on Black Friday so if you are interested in getting one (or two or three), I would recommend doing that sooner rather than later, because I tend to sell out.

If you are out and about shopping this month, feel free to stop by and check out my paintings hanging at Helix Wines (just across from the Davenport). Their chocolate truffles are to DIE FOR.

My talk on the series of paintings I’ve been working at the Hive has been moved to January 28th, 1-3. It seems like everyone is crazy busy lately and January will be a quieter time, which increases that odds that people will be able to come by and tell me stories to help add to the series.

Wishing you all the best-stay save out there in the snow and good luck with all your holiday prepartions!

Open Studio THIS SATURDAY!

I’m so excited to see you all this Saturday! I’ve been cleaning up the studio and hanging unframed art on all the walls, some of which have never been displayed in public. The sunflowers are blooming and the yard is just about ready for you guys to come paint in it! I know its going to be a wee bit warm (82 degrees at the time of writing this!), so we’ll have a 24 ft by 24 ft tent for shade (plus two umbrellas in the garden) and a misting fan along with plenty of ice cold drinks to go with the nibbles. I can’t wait to see you guys and catch up on how summer has been!

Scroll down to get a little sneak peek of what I’ve been working on-both in the studio and in the yard! Finishing touches will be done this week.

In other news, I’ve managed a couple new paintings despite all the hubbub of getting ready AND I will have my 2023 calendars ready for you to check out, if all goes well with the printer!

The plastic sleeves over the paintings will be removed for the day of the party.

Things still in progress!

Sunny outside, nice and cool in the studio!

The umbrella will shade this spot starting around 9:30!

Lots of sunflowers in bloom all over.

Bees enjoying the Tithonia!

“Haystack Rock Reflection”, aka me pretending I’m at the beach during this heatwave.

“Festive Garbage Goat” will be the December image in my calendar!

March on!

Hi there! Boy, February just flew by! I can’t believe its March already! I’ve been busy getting ready for my show at Bellwether Brewing this month and I’m hanging it today. I’m excited to see all the paintings up on the walls. Below is another new painting I made for the show-a Duncan Garden scene. Sigh. Only 4 more months till Duncan Garden looks like this again!

The show will be up until the end of March and the Monroe neighborhood is doing a 2nd Saturday Art Walk on March 12th, which I will be participating in. I’ll be there from around 3:30-5 or so! I’d love to see you!

This is an illustration for a poem in the March issue of Spokane Coeur D’Alene Living. It was fun to work with a limited color palette and to aim for moody, dusky light.

It’s been very cold in February but I miss painting outside so I’ve been driving my car around Deer Park and parking in various spots and doing tiny gouache sketches while sitting at my steering wheel. I put my water cup in the cup holder and my palette over the other cup holder and part of my gear shift panel, then everything else is piled on the passenger seat. I turn up the heat on my drive over and then turn off the car while I sit, so I paint quickly!

I loved the way the light hit the snow piles that surrounded this fire hydrant. The rain is slowly melting the snow away but we still have more up here in Deer Park than Spokane does.

Wishing you all well and hope to see you at my show at Bellwether! If you can’t make it on Saturday, feel free to stop in whenever they are open throughout the month.

Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour

Hello everyone!

I just returned from a solo painting trip on the Oregon coast to discover that fall has arrived in force here in the Inland NW. I spent last night frantically harvest tomatoes and peppers, trying to save them from the frost alert. Most things I didn’t manage to cover last night are a little crispy but we might be able to hobble along a little longer (fingers crossed! I have so many green tomatoes!). I canned what I hope will be the last of the pickles this morning and I’m gearing up to do jalapeno jelly tomorrow. If you have recipes you love for green peppers (or veggies in general!) please send them my way! I need all the help I can get!

I checked my calendar and realized to my great surprise that the Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour is coming up! I’ll be at my friend Collista’s house, which is a new location and a bit further north than the others but well worth the effort (Her yard is beautiful!). Come see if I remembered how to set up my booth! I’d love to see you all. Masks please and no pets.

Wishing you all a happy fall!

July Events

Hi Guys! Things are finally starting to open up and here are some fun activities I’m taking part in this month. I hope you are all managing to stay cool and I’ll be sending out an update of what painting projects I’ve been working on soon.

I’m doing a Zoom lecture with the Friends of Manito on July 17th, 11 am-12:30 pm. Click here to sign up.

PAINTINGS OF MANITO AND OTHER SPOKANE SCENES

Join local artist Megan Perkins as she discusses the subject of her paintings with particular focus on ones done at Manito, as well as other Spokane scenes. She will talk about painting en plein air (or “in the open air”) and how listeners can paint in their own gardens or at the gardens in beautiful Manito Park.

Brush on the Bluff is a new event this year. I’ll be painting from 10-1 at location 8 on the map (to be released).

Here’s some more information and check out their website to see the other artists involved!

Watch Artists Paint the Bluff's Scenery

Several artists will be setting up in different locations on the bluff (all within half a mile of Polly Judd Park) to paint the scenery around them. Friends of the Bluff will provide maps to their locations so visitors can take a short stroll, stopping to meet each artist and observe their work. At the end of the event, all of the paintings will be auctioned off and the proceeds will be split between the artists and Friends of the Bluff.

Add Some Color to the Polly Judd Park Sidewalks!

Friends of the Bluff will be providing sidewalk chalk to anyone that wants to help us brighten up the park. Professional chalk artist Stacie Boyer will also be on-hand to answer questions and create her own masterpiece!

Nature-Inspired Art Workshop

The Botanical Alchemists create large-scale nature designs around Spokane for weddings, festivals, memorials, and more. They will be leading a free community workshop all day for anyone who wants to create their own nature-inspired masterpiece.

Art Hike for Families

Take a short walk into the woods with Marit Fischer before settling in on your blankets for a grounding and mindfulness exercise. This will be followed by a brief lesson on the basic principles of drawing and an opportunity for the children to share their work. There are limited spots available, so please visit our Bluff Walks page to register.

Wonder Building Pop Up

Good news guys! I’ve been asking to join a small group of artists, bakers, and local creators for the Saturday Wonder Building Pop Up Market this Saturday, April 10th, 12-3. There will be beignets and High Tide Lobster Rolls and my art. Check out @luckyladybread on Instagram and the Wonder Building Facebook as we get closer to learn more about who is going to be there. I’m excited to get out and show art again and a little apprehensive about how long I’m going to last before I snap and buy a bunch of carbs!

Wonder Building:

835 N. Post Street

Spokane, WA

New Show: Seasons in Spokane

Hello everyone! I have exciting news! I have been hard at work during the past month making new paintings for my show at the Spokane Art School. I decided to go with the theme, “Seasons in Spokane” because we are so lucky to have four full distinct seasons here in Spokane and I wanted to celebrate them.

The show opens April 1st and closes on the 30th. The Spokane Art School is open 10-2. We won’t be having a First Friday reception, but I’d be happy to meet anyone who wanted a personal tour of the work to chat about it, just email me!

I think it will be really fun for people to look at the paintings and decide which season a painting “belongs” to. There’s a couple that I think could go either way (though I, of course, have a preference) and I am always interested to hear what other people think.

What season do you think these paintings belong to?

Stop by the Spokane Art School to see these guys and the rest of the paintings in person!

Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour ONLINE

Hi Everyone!

I’ll be posting updates of what I’ve been up to since we last talked soon, but I wanted to get this out quick. We’re coming up on the Annual Littler Spokane River Artist Studio Tour which has gone online for this year. If you love local art, you should definitely check out the website and all the artists participating. Me included! I knew this would be a good excuse to finally try to get a website up and going, especially with the holiday season approaching (I can hardly believe it!). Feel free to poke around in the shop. I’d appreciate any feedback you can give me about it since this online selling process is sure a learning process and if you feel moved to buy something, I’d love that too!

Hope that you are all well and breathing clean air during these beautiful fall days!

Winter is Here!

Hoo boy guys, we haven’t seen much snow yet, but last night, the high at my house was 15 degrees! As I write this on Sunday afternoon, the furnace keeps kicking on to keep us warm!

Other signs of winter and the holidays? Amaryllis for sale at all the grocery stores! I love these flowers. They are so dramatic. I like to track the unfolding of their blooms in my sketchbooks every year. I’ve got all of mine stashed in a dark closet, trying to prep them to bloom sometime in January and I have high hopes that I’ll get at least a couple of flowers out of them, but it is still hard to resist buying an already blooming plant at the store when I pass by!

I did this demo at my last watercolor class to demonstrate how to make something look further away when we were working on landscape and reflections. More water, less color intensity, and softer edges are key!

Here’s another demo from this class, this time also addressing sky. The sky is typically a darker and redder blue up high and gets lighter and yellower toward the horizon (all the dust and dirt and particles in the air). Clouds are way softer than you think and definitely not just white! The colors from the ground below reflect up into cloud bottoms! For reflections, dark objects usually reflect a little bit lighter than they actually are and light objects a little bit darker! There you go! A quick lesson. Have fun!

Now here are my last two holiday shows of the season (You can always find my stuff at Pottery Place Plus and the From Here Store all year round!):

Urban Art Coop’s Holiday Market which is THIS weekend. They have an paid preview night on Friday where you can meet the artists and get delicious nibbles and are open for free Saturday and Sunday. The show is managed by the co-op so if you want to chat with me in person, your best bet is my next show: BRRZAAR, Saturday December 14th at RiverPark Square Mall! Yes, the MALL. Now this was a great show last year with lots of amazing stuff (I bought a print of a giant marmot rampaging through the Monroe Street Bridge whipping the gondolas over his head.) so you should definitely brave the crowds and come!

Urban Art Co-op 3209 N Monroe St, Spokane, WA 99205

Friday- opening night 6-9pm light food 5.00 suggested donation at the door
Saturday- 10am to 6pm
Sunday- 10am to 4pm

RiverPark Square Mall in downtown Spokane!

Megan Perkins Art at Pottery Place Plus

Hi guys! This past February, I became a member of Pottery Place Plus, a local artist's co-op here in Spokane. This year they are celebrating their 40th anniversary, making them one of the oldest artist co-ops on the West Coast. Pottery Place Plus is located at 203 N Washington St. in the Liberty Building (the same building as Auntie's, Sante's and Uncle's Games). I thought it would be nice to have a constant, regular place to have my art available so that people could come by to see it (or buy it!) at any time of year, whether I'm at an art show or not. Pottery Place Plus has a wonderful variety of handmade items, pottery obviously, but also candles, soaps, ecoprinted scarves, paintings, jewelry, wood working, and more. I'm going to be down there working 10-3 or so on Friday the 13th and I'd love visitors! But no worries if that doesn't work for you. Pottery Place Plus is open 7 days a week, 10 am-9 pm Tuesday-Saturday and 11 am-6 pm Sunday and 10 am-6 pm on Monday. Come on down sometime and take a look! Also, Pottery Place Plus is right near the park so you can get a look at the progress they are making on the new carousel building and see everyone roller skating on the new skate ribbon. I think that plus maybe a quick bite to eat would make for a lovely outing!

My art wall!

I have cards of lots of my paintings and well as prints!

See My Art at Bellwether Brewing

Hi Guys!

I'm the featured artist at Bellwether Brewing for the month of March. I'll be there this Friday the 2nd 5-7 pm if you want to drop by to see the art and chat! I will have a lot of watercolors from my Artist's Eye on Spokane Series up and hanging and Bellwether has some great beers to enjoy as well. The art will be up all month so feel free to stop by!

Bellwether Brewing: 2019 N Monroe Spokane, WA