Q&A
Meghan is a photographic artist based in Austin, Texas. She uses photography as a vehicle to explore the way that the human form can communicate its inner life to the viewer, placing herself and those close to her in front of the lens. Her use of the human body and her understanding of natural light are used beautifully to articulate her thoughts.
Could you tell us a little about these images; what is the thought process behind them and are they related to a larger body of work?
These were my first ever experiments in black and white, which I embarked upon after falling wildly in love and subsequently moving in with my current boyfriend, a Czech mountain man of sorts, named Jan. At the time he was living in this three-story, dilapidated, Victorian style house in Chicago with no heat or hot water, or furniture really. But the windows! My goodness, the sunlight that came into those rooms was rich, energizing, absolutely inspiring. And there I was, experiencing this flood of light and love, and my body felt totally new with this new person. These photographs came spilling out of me, they demanded to be taken!
The entire series consists of about twelve pieces that include self-portraits, images of several best friends, and of course, Jan. The collection is for me, an hommage to finding that balance between the dark and the bright, unfurling oneself in unknown places and reaching out into life.
Your work seems to be very cathartic, do you find the process of making self-portraits therapeutic?
Oh my, yes! I have learned much about myself through taking my own picture. The act itself allows you, or perhaps forces you to objectively look at your surroundings, your emotions, your physical state, and then process all of this into an image. It allows you to revel in your happiness, celebrate it even. It forces you to take your sadness by the hand and sculpt it into something effective. It challenges you to redirect your anger into productivity.
Is it important to you that this is a very personal process?
It must be a personal process! For me, this is what breathes life into photographs.
What's your background in photography? How long have you been practicing for and have you studied or are you self taught?
I jumped from theatre directing (which is what my degree is in) to photography about four and a half years ago. My penchant for creating compositions (much like crafting a stage picture) is what made me pick up a camera in the first place. Self taught seems like such a smug declaration, but as I've had no formal training and am still learning about the mechanics of photography I'll file myself under that category!
Who are your influences photographically? Are there any other aspects of culture that you would say significantly influence your work?
I am constantly inspired by modern art in terms of capturing expressivity in the body. In museums and such I am always making mental notes about gestures I see in sculptures and paintings to use as a jumping off point for a photo later. Egon Schiele, Ernst Lugwig Kirchner, Marc Chagall, Oskar Kokoschka, and so on... Expressionism is my genre of choice, dare I even say my way of life! As far as other photographers go, I am just in love with the work of Nan Goldin and Sally Mann, both of whom use their own lives and loved ones as their respective muses. Sally Mann's black and white photographs, and in particular her "Immediate Family" collection, just sing out to me. She encapsulates the dreamy mess of childhood without falling into cliche as many other photos of children do. Nan Goldin has quite a knack for capturing the taste of life- of people and of moments. Her self-portraits make my heart hurt when I look at them, because of how much she is sharing with the viewer. It is all there for the taking, from her euphoria to her pain. What draws me to her photographs of other people is the trust in their eyes. There is this unspoken communication between the artist and subject that brings you into their world, you can sense that they love to have their picture taken by her. I have such respect for that.
Where do you hope that your photographic career will take you? Do you have anything significant in the pipeline and do you have any aspirations for the near future?
Experience has taught me not to even begin speculation about where all this is headed! This past year has been an intensive period of self-exploration in hopes that through working on myself my artistic voice would emerge a bit stronger. I think that my plan worked, and am feeling on the verge of teetering off into the next big project/phase/adventure/whathaveyou. My ideas have been focused more outward as of late, and while I still think that self-portaiture is relevant, I am ready to start exploring the rest of the world and the other people in it. I'd like to be able to capture other people as intimately as I have captured myself in photographs. That may be a pretty serious aspiration, but it is an honest one!
And finally: Bardot or Monroe?
Bardot. Oui oui oui, Bardot toujours.