My Work
I have always been interested in narratives, the telling of a story. This comes from childhood experiences. I grew up watching Looney Toons, listening to bedtime stories, and being captivated by theatre work. There is a strong influence of entertainment modes in my past. When I take into account the deeper-seated meaning or message that was often times embedded within these early childhood influences, there seems to be a potentially darker side to what is portrayed. I find these types of narrative formats very appropriate to how I represent the content of my work, which explores desires, fears, and everyday experiences that relate to the larger whole of human existence. I depict themes of conflict, struggle, and isolation in response to social and cultural power structures, and how we interact with our surroundings.
With these interactions, some technological advances effect our level of intimacy. During a time in which we are constantly “connected”, we are faced with ever-changing choices. We are being socially conditioned to be connected. Being alone is feared: quiet, silence, and reflection are bad words; the antitheses of efficiency. By filling that void, oftentimes we end up with a short-term fulfillment that avoids self-reflection; rather than a long-term contribution to positive well-being. My work is about recognizing these patterns, the confused communication that often results, and the simultaneous fight for both self-control and to let go of control. Therefore, figures are often depicted in self-induced struggles, tangled up in wires that they themselves have placed.
Visually, the narrative format I employ is a "hook" to keep the viewer interested. Animals become a stand-in for the human figure, and mechanical forms such as electrical wires and crutches are metaphor for self-deception and confusion. The level of detail within the forms is a representation of control; whereas, the embossed layers of loose mark-making symbolize letting go. I combine these disparate forms to evoke empathy toward the human condition and show that outside variables are ultimately out of our control.
With these interactions, some technological advances effect our level of intimacy. During a time in which we are constantly “connected”, we are faced with ever-changing choices. We are being socially conditioned to be connected. Being alone is feared: quiet, silence, and reflection are bad words; the antitheses of efficiency. By filling that void, oftentimes we end up with a short-term fulfillment that avoids self-reflection; rather than a long-term contribution to positive well-being. My work is about recognizing these patterns, the confused communication that often results, and the simultaneous fight for both self-control and to let go of control. Therefore, figures are often depicted in self-induced struggles, tangled up in wires that they themselves have placed.
Visually, the narrative format I employ is a "hook" to keep the viewer interested. Animals become a stand-in for the human figure, and mechanical forms such as electrical wires and crutches are metaphor for self-deception and confusion. The level of detail within the forms is a representation of control; whereas, the embossed layers of loose mark-making symbolize letting go. I combine these disparate forms to evoke empathy toward the human condition and show that outside variables are ultimately out of our control.
About Meghan
Originally from northeast Tennessee, Meghan O’Connor studied printmaking at East Tennessee State University, and went on to earn an MFA at Clemson University. In the summers, she often teaches workshops for Tennessee State Governor’s School for the Arts and also
Frogman's Print Workshops. O'Connor has been teaching printmaking and foundations full time since 2009. She is currently Assistant Professor of Art at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC, where she teaches drawing and printmaking. Recently returned from the cold winters of Nebraska, she misses her midwestern folks, but is glad to be away from -30 degree winters and close to the water again! She is a member of Southern Graphics Council International, Mid America Print Council, and FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education).
O'Connor's work has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. In addition to solo exhibitions, she has had work included in the Parkside National Small Print Exhibition in Kenosha, WI; Southern Graphics Council International Members Exhibition, Knoxville, TN; and A Curious Bestiary: Chimeras and Cryptozoology from American Printmakers at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA. Her work can be found in the collection of Columbia College in Chicago; Gippsland Centre for Art and Design in Australia; Limerick School of Art and Design in Ireland; Proyecto’ace Print Collection in Buenos Aires, and many other universities around the United States. Most recently, she had a piece acquired for the Prints & Photographs Division at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. She has completed artist residencies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts’ Pentaculum, in Gatlinburg, TN; the Stonehouse Residency, in Miramonte, CA; and Arquetopia Foundation for Development in Puebla, Mexico. She will be teaching a stone lithography course at the next Frogman's Print and Workshops in summer of 2021 (summer 2022 if rescheduled).
Frogman's Print Workshops. O'Connor has been teaching printmaking and foundations full time since 2009. She is currently Assistant Professor of Art at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC, where she teaches drawing and printmaking. Recently returned from the cold winters of Nebraska, she misses her midwestern folks, but is glad to be away from -30 degree winters and close to the water again! She is a member of Southern Graphics Council International, Mid America Print Council, and FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education).
O'Connor's work has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. In addition to solo exhibitions, she has had work included in the Parkside National Small Print Exhibition in Kenosha, WI; Southern Graphics Council International Members Exhibition, Knoxville, TN; and A Curious Bestiary: Chimeras and Cryptozoology from American Printmakers at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA. Her work can be found in the collection of Columbia College in Chicago; Gippsland Centre for Art and Design in Australia; Limerick School of Art and Design in Ireland; Proyecto’ace Print Collection in Buenos Aires, and many other universities around the United States. Most recently, she had a piece acquired for the Prints & Photographs Division at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. She has completed artist residencies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts’ Pentaculum, in Gatlinburg, TN; the Stonehouse Residency, in Miramonte, CA; and Arquetopia Foundation for Development in Puebla, Mexico. She will be teaching a stone lithography course at the next Frogman's Print and Workshops in summer of 2021 (summer 2022 if rescheduled).
© 2005 - 2020 MEGHAN O'CONNOR