Root Bound

Oil by Megan Welch
(24in. x 30in.)

“My creative practice centers around motherhood and how what it means to be a mother is in constant flux. I began this line of creative inquiry with the statement, “Stay where I can see you.” arguably a phrase every parent can recall saying to their child. It is both demand and plea. It is uttered when parents struggle with the blurred lines between the infants they once held in their arms, the adult to come, and the child standing before them. Today this work as evolved into incorporating imagery of rootbound plants as an allegory for the adolescent daughter I share my life with. Much in the way a plant fights, struggles and tries their best to thrive in a too-small pot, I often see a restlessness in my daughter as she inches closer to adulthood.
When I’m not painting my daughter, I am often exploring my life and travels in my paintings. I enjoy working with a palette knife to build structure, mass and voluminous forms in layers of paint to create richly textured compositions. I enjoy juxtaposing painterly marks with smoother more polished areas to create tension in my works. This includes building up a complex ground before adding in my subject. I find that my creative practice is most rewarding when I am creating images of the people and objects I love.”

Artwork purchased online can be picked up AFTER the exhibit ends, on or after February 2, 2025 — or shipped to the buyer (ALL SHIPPING COSTS TO BE PAID BY THE BUYER).