https://www.maryevelynjones.com/maryevelynjones daily 1.0 2021-11-08 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/about daily 0.75 2021-11-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635722372141-BMVB8YEKORWVCFFBHY9C/Sullivan%27s+bio+with+Bull.jpg About Maryevelyn - About Maryevelyn Jones By Rusty Sullivan Fayetteville Free Weekly March 20, 2003 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635722372141-BMVB8YEKORWVCFFBHY9C/Sullivan%27s+bio+with+Bull.jpg About Maryevelyn https://www.maryevelynjones.com/murals daily 0.75 2021-11-29 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/pet-portraits daily 0.75 2021-11-29 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/back-art daily 0.75 2021-12-01 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/spiral-art daily 0.75 2021-12-01 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/misc daily 0.75 2021-12-01 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/cartoons daily 0.75 2021-12-01 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting daily 0.75 2021-10-19 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/project-six-skam4 monthly 0.5 2021-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635440249478-EAV3KG80XM2S53IT6S7J/Ben+and+Jessica+Whalefish.jpg Published Writing - Ben and Jessica of Whalefish Studios - Ben Strawn and Jessica Robin The Artist’s Eye by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly 2002/3 Ben Strawn and Jessica Robin of Whalefish Studios Ben Strawn and Jessica Robin are two artist who met in a sculpture class. Now, they live together are married, constantly inspire each other, and create things out of stuff they find. Robin has a degree in theater and costume design from the University of Arkansas, but prefers sewing. Robin makes dolls and found object constructions. Strawn has a degree in painting from the University of Arkansas, but prefers drawing, making dolls, and found object constructions. Strawn’s painting world separates from his drawing world. He loves illustration and the dolls fit into his constructions. Strawn spends his spare time planning six epic stories. He’ll use the dolls and constructions to narrate these stories. Metal and junk pieces speak to Strawn. They speak in a narrative way rather than abstract. Viewers want to see the uniquely Strawn end product. He enjoys the process of finding something, not knowing how it will fit together later, and not seeing his own handprint in every aspect of the finished work. Strawn knows he wouldn’t be making dolls if it weren’t for watching Robin make hers. Robin’s dolls are floppy and weighted while Strawn’s dolls pose. Strawn said the difference comes from their different childhoods. Robin played with Raggedy Ann as a kid while he played with GI Joe. Starting from a blank piece of paper or canvas doesn’t fulfill either Robin or Strawn like finding a stick that already looks like a person or some thing other than a stick. Robin said she wasn’t trained in art the way Strawn was, but she always liked reacting to clay. She sees the blend of theater and art. She loves problem solving through patterning. Watching the mixture of dance costumes and the way fabric moves really appeals to Robin. She and Strawn create the faces, hands, bodies, clothing, etc. They invent the whole doll without using another designer’s molded head or dress patterns. Robin says that her dolls fall somewhere between art and craft but never fully into one or the other. Once Robin puts a face and a body together, a character development has begun. She calls her dolls by their descriptions like “owl lady” or “cotton lady” instead of giving them names. These descriptions do not prevent her from developing emotional attachments. She can’t fix a nose to be less crooked or a baked hand to be unburned. She said changing it would be cosmetic surgery where nature and chance should be. Sometimes Robin starts a doll then lets it sit around the house without completed limbs. After a while, the seemingly unfinished doll would look wrong any other way. Armless things appeal to both artists and appear in their works. Even one of their dogs has only three legs and is a source of inspiration. All the characters created by both Strawn and Robin show mysterious, timid, and curious personalities. See them for yourself at www.whalefishstudios.com to get a more insightful look at Ben Strawn and Jessica Robin’s work. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/project-three-sc33j monthly 0.5 2021-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635375422857-7G0NJR9QIV82BUQNMKWC/Steven+Wise+artist+eye.jpg Published Writing - Steven Wise - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/project-four-8kr94 monthly 0.5 2021-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/312c9557-7124-4af0-9f7a-3ed0afd03f3b/artist+eye+John+Newman.jpg Published Writing - John Newman - John Newman The Artist’s Eye by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly 2002/3 One of my former professors, John Newman, teaches printmaking at the University of Arkansas. He sat for me while I drew and interviewed him. Newman teaches different forms of printmaking such as lithography, silk-screen, etching, and monotypes. In addition to teaching, he produces his own prints as well as paintings for show and sell. After he was drafted and returned from the military Newman thought about school but wanted to work first. He decided to get a teaching certificate and attended school while working as a commercial artist at Hallmark. He finally chose graduate school full time. Printmaking captured his attention in graduate school, but a University of Kansas professor asked him to also paint, so Newman completed a double major in printmaking and painting. He has done a number of paintings. One of his paintings hangs in the University of Arkansas- Little Rock Law Library. He has had several shows mainly with prints and drawings. Though prints may be thought of as a copy of an image, Newman finds excitement in the many different ways a single image will appear through multiple layers of color or different techniques. Painting provides a more immediate feeling because each brushstroke is as it is. Newman defines art as speaking to life and to life’s experiences in all it’s forms whether beautiful or ugly. He said that art celebrates existence and the ability to use the resources around you. The list of possible resources never ends: acrylic, oil, watercolor, printmaking, computers, neon… “I need to document my experiences to be motivated to paint or say something.” said Newman. For the most part, social commentary is his purpose in creating art. In some instances people look and are disgusted or turned off by a piece, but Newman said he likes that he has that effect. He believes it’s worthwhile to have things that he has seen and thought about around him. For example, he thinks about the murder of Emit Teal and the Billy Holiday piece called “Strange Fruit” written by a white man speaking to the hangings throughout the country. Another example is his series depicting black on black crime. Newman also enjoys more beautiful and lighthearted subjects that don’t require as much thought. He said that sometimes subject matter can be less important than the act of doing the art. He does not ask his students to make social comments through their work. However after the work is completed, he does ask what message they meant to send. If a student expresses uncertainty, then Newman guides them or suggests ways for them to become more clear the next time. He was one of my favorite professors. A sample of Newman’s artworks can be viewed on the art department section of the University of Arkansas uark.edu website. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/project-five-sxrc2 monthly 0.5 2021-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635376766128-N96BBMPMLD97S4ZO1XMH/Jeana+Vaughn+Artist+Eye.jpg Published Writing - Jeana Vaughn's Hobby - Jeana Vaughn’s Hobby The Artist’s Eye by Maryevelyn Jones Fayettville Free Weekly 2002/3 As a struggling painter, I want to know what inspires people to purchase art and paintings. I found out how Jeana Vaughn started while I sketched her. One day Jeana asked her friend John, an avid art collector: “How come you have so many beautiful things on your wall? I wish I had some.” John told her that is just takes time. You have to continue to be diligent. Look for things that you can afford, but buy what you love. Shortly after this conversation Jeana and John came around different sides of a corner in a flea market. “There on the floor was this beautiful painting and we immediately both started reaching for it,” Jeana said. It was a 24” by 30” seascape from a hilltop point of view signed by S. Brenner. “We both put our hands on it at the same time. I look at him. He looks at me, and I start moaning, ‘Oh, but John you have all this wonderful stuff. It’s my turn!’” Then John let go of the painting. Jeana turned it over to discover a $30 price tag which upset John a little more. Jeana has aquired several paintings and prints. “Everything I buy has to speak to me in some way,” she explained. “I’m hoping that whenever I pass on, someone looks at them and thinks this is something special. This is history.” She’s especially fond of her 1865 sketch of three people about to get on a boat at Lake St. George called Summer Morning. “It’s astounding what people sell in their antique and flea markets.” This sketch evokes a curiosity in Jeana of what life was like for the artist in New York during the Civil War era. All the art that Jeana buys evokes something: a place she visited, a woman that looks like her, an aged look, or something striking about the colors. “I have some sort of love for it, and so I bring it home.” Jeana pays an average of $10 to $30. Ironically, her prints of paintings cost more than the original paintings she finds. Having been scoffed at for buying prints, Jeana said she couldn’t afford $2,700 for Christina Mariotti’s or Jeanett B’s original oil paintings. Jeanett’s large nude on a black background is worth that much, but the little giclee reproduction pleases Jeana. She knows the giclee is not the original, but she can afford it. “It’s just beautiful and looks great on my wall in my bedroom.” Jeana will tell you to think of every person you know who has a poster of Degas or Renoir, because museums own the originals. Jeana’s advice to local artists: Don’t try to find what the masses want. Paint what comes from the heart, makes you happy, and expresses what you want to say. Then find someone else to market it. A buyer will see the love that you invest in each painting. As for John who encouraged her to start collecting, he still comes over sometimes and stands in front the hillside seascape admiring it. “Sure is a beautiful painting,” he’ll say. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/project-one-mcndt monthly 0.5 2021-10-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/3015d06a-8d05-4fec-961c-2e471e318472/worldly+santa+cover.jpg Published Writing - Worldly Santa - Worldly Santa by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly December 18, 2003 Around the world people celebrate Christmas in different ways. A few people living in Fayetteville who are from different countries talked about the differences between Christmas in Arkansas and in their country. Father Christmas comes in some surprising forms. Shakia Jordan from Australia: A Christmas “down under” is a lot like an American Christmas, although there is a distinct Aussie twist. In Wagga Wagga, a little city south of Sidney, Christmas Eve is a time of merry drinking and reconnecting with old friends. The main street is closed off to cars so that patrons of the pubs can spill into the streets. Everyone brings an “esky” full of their favorite beverages and celebrate well into Christmas morning. Before one goes to bed however, they don’t forget to leave a can of beer and some biscuits out for Santa. The Australian summer calls for beer instead of milk! Christmas day is celebrated with the traditional Christmas food and is usually accompanied by a swim. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, a public holiday borrowed from the British that is a day spent relaxing and recovering from the festivities of the previous days. Yasmin Sierra from Hondurus: According to Yasmin, people in Honduras often buy new clothes to wear during Christmas. Santa Claus in Hondurs dresses and acts just like he does in the U.S., but he comes on the night of Dec. 23. On Dec. 24 children are allowed to stay up until midnight, because that is when presents are passed out. While they wait for midnight, the adults talk and drink and the children burn firecrackers. Sometimes families watch the Pope’s mass on T.V. live from Italy. Yasmin said some families eat Christmas dinner before midnight while other families wait until after the presents are opened. The meal in Honduras usually is a meat dish with rice but without cranberry sauce or dressing and there is a holiday dessert called Torrejas, a bread-like dessert made from egg whites and a special type of sugar only available during the holiday season. Denise Brooks from the Democratic Republic of Congo: Denise says Christmas is very different in the city of Kinshasa, Congo compared to here in Arkansas. Most families go to the night church service. Even non-believers do their best to get to church on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus is not part of the tradition in Kinshasa. A few parents who can afford it go to the Meridian Hotel downtown and pay $200 U.S. per child to see Santa Claus. Denise says she does not expect gifts and Christmas, because in Kinshasa Christmas is about getting together with family and friends to share a big meal. The dishes served are just every day meals like a meat dish and cassava leaves. Some families buy new clothes for their kids, but Denise’s mom always invites very poor people from a nearby neighborhood over for dinner. Denise said that all over Africa, Christmas gifts consist of things already owned that are shared like hand-me-down clothing or cups of rice. They are given to those who don’t have as much. It is not customary to but new things. Kofi Addo and Esi Andoh from The Republic of Ghana: Kofi and Esi said that Christmas in Ghana mimics the scene of a carnival in Brazil. Most Ghanaians see Christmas as the day on which Christ was born. On Christmas Eve cities become crowded with people doing some last minute shopping for food and drinks before the start of the holiday season. Families decorate their homes in preparation for the big day, Dec. 25. Like in Congo, only a few fortunate kids are taken to the supermarkets to see Father Christmas in his red suit. Dec. 25 is a public holiday. There is Joy in the air as one can tell by the loud music blaring over speakers in bars and some homes. Kids dress up in colorful costumes with matching facemasks and go from door to door dancing for rewards of candy or money. Some of the kids perform these dances on stilts with drumbeats provided by drummers who tag along. Early Christmas morning is the time that most churches are filled with people dressed in white who listen to Christmas carols and the story of Christ’s birth. After church, the Ghanaian people pay visits to their friends and families in their church clothes to wish them a happy new year. Every home looks like a party house with music, decorations, and food. Gifts such as used clothing or money are usually given to family members and friends by those who have the means. Kids enjoy the good food, toys, balloons, and light fireworks. The merry-making continues throughout the day until everyone becomes exhausted. As in Australia, the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, is another holiday. Ghanaians use the day to clean up the mess from Christmas day and get some rest before the next working day. Nenad Porobic from former Yugoslavia: In my obsolete country, Christmas was, simply forbidden. Djeda Mraz (Grandpa Snow) still had a few days to prepare for his visits. He would cross our thresholds or slide down our chimneys saturated with animal fat. The first of January signaled another year during which the most prized possession an individual could have was the Communist Party Membership Card. It took efforts to keep the card (along with the unsmiling holder’s stare), and one of them was active obliteration of old family traditions, and active participation in “new ones.” We swore to our leaders not to fall weakly under the spell of anything opiatically supernatural, even if it is a good dinner. All of my memories stem from the time before the civilized started tearing down certain walls, and uncivilized responded by building them. We were obedient to the end. Destructive passions have led us to our own extinction. Raja Khoury and Gaby Jabbour from Lebanon: In Lebanon, 30-40% of the population is Christian. Raja comes from a Greek Orthodox village. In his village there is a group of Christian scouts who get together and organize a gift giving event. Raja’s parents would secretly give the children’s gifts to the scouts. Then when families were all together at dinnertime Papa Noel goes around the village in a car or pickup truck between 7-9 p.m. on Dec. 24 knocking on doors and hand delivering presents to children. Raja said it does not matter if Papa Noel is skinny or fat as long as he wears the red suit, has a white beard, and looks exotic. Raja said that in Lebanon family togetherness is far more important than gift giving. Gaby comes from a Catholic family in Beirut. He said that the week before Christmas in Beirut many people do charity work for places like a nursing home or orphanage. On Dec. 24, Gaby said his family would usually all gather at one of his grandparents’ homes and start having appetizers around 8 p.m. His parents would have called a toy store to make an appointment with Papa Noel a month in advance. They would tell Gaby that Papa Noel would be at his grandparents’ house at 11:30 p.m. After a turkey dinner, a white chocolate dessert always made it a white Christmas. Papa Noel would arrive after dinner and hand out small gifts to children and then leave, so the family could go to church. It was important to attend church to be blessed before opening any gifts. They often left the church service early to go home and open gifts. After the gifts were open the party and schmoozing really began. During Christmas in Beirut everybody drinks. Even children are allowed to have a little wine over ice. When children go to sleep Papa Noel re-visits. This second visit is more like a U.S. Christmas with a rooftop landing and Santa in a sleigh pulled by reindeer (excluding Rudolph). During the second visit Papa Noel leaves bigger gifts for children to open when they wake up on Dec. 25. Since Gaby’s home did not have a fireplace, Papa Noel came through the vent, so Gaby usually left a glass of water by the vent for Papa Noel. Merry Christmas! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/7fea2780-0477-40a3-943e-856da9ce3e50/SantaWorld.JPEG Published Writing - Worldly Santa - Worldly Santa by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly December 18, 2003 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/cindy-arsaga monthly 0.5 2021-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1635524524903-20E4JH1AABYKY4KO2W6B/Cindy+Arsaga+the+Artist+Eye.jpg Published Writing - Cindy Arsaga - Cindy Arsaga The Artist’s Eye by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly 2003 Cindy Arsaga and her husband Cary founded coffeehouse culture in Northwest Arkansas when they established their first coffeehouse more than 10 years ago in downtown Fayetteville. They currently own and operate the Block Street Bakery and Arsaga’s Espresso Cafes at Crossroads Village and the Crosscreek Center and now inside the new Washington Regional Medical Center. I drew Cindy while she talked about the coffeehouses and art. “What I love about having a place like we have is that it’s a gathering place for people, and that was the reason we wanted to do it,” Cindy said. “We didn’t even make coffee in our house. We didn’t know anything about espresso. It was just that we wanted to create a space for people to be… I think partly because we started with that intent, and partly because communities just need places like that– it happened.” Cindy believes that a goal of bringing different eclectic people together exposes the cohesive nature of our community. Surprisingly, the Arsaga’s did not incorporate art in the original coffeehouse idea. “The nicest part of doing a coffeehouse was that art became a part of it.” Cindy emphasized that she owes that part of it to her friends Ron and Renee of Russellville who asked if they could hang art on the walls and have a show just as Cindy and Cary were putting the original Arsaga’s location together. “We really hadn’t pursued that or thought about it.” Because of Ron, Arsaga’s had it’s first show. Very soon after, artists booked up shows for the next year. Since then, art has become a really important part of all the locations. The Block Street Bakery may not have much wall space, but local artists created the designs and color schemes there. Although Cindy and Cary hadn’t considered art at the forefront of the first Arsaga’s, art was part of Cindy Arsaga. She held a fascinating show of her own paintings at the Gregg Street location. “I have always been interested in art, and I’ve always wanted to have art be a part of my life,” she explained. “I’ve been drawing and painting, off and on most of my adult life. I took a few classes at the University. I was a nurse for 13 years; and when in school for nursing, I took art classes as electives from some wonderful artists.” Now that her children are grown she feels more freedom and space in the house to paint. She painted with Kathy Thompson during the last three years, who Cindy said is “a great inspiration.” Cindy knows what emotions artists go through when selling their work. She said a painting that she sold was, “the one that was the most heart wrenching to produce; and I was really grateful that somebody saw that, responded to it, and bought it.” Her understanding of artists influences her art business decisions. Arsaga’s only takes a 15 percent commission. “We tried to keep it low just because I feel it’s a great benefit to have art on the wall. We get something out of it and so does the artist.” “It’s always fascinating to see what people come up with. The shows are always different and usually really good. I love that part of it.” Cindy said people frequently approach her about both music and art. Today’s year 2005 waiting list for artists to display at the Crossover location shows the patience of artists wanting to display at the popular coffeehouses. Not everyone is aware of Fayetteville’s significant community of artists, but according to Cindy; “The great thing about this area is how much talent is here and just waiting to have a venue to display.” https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/doug-randall monthly 0.5 2021-10-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/d314894e-d455-449d-bc1e-c4ebdf631909/Rocky+Creek+Art+Gallery+Doug+Randall.jpg Published Writing - Doug Randall - Doug Randall A Different Kind of Art Gallery by Maryevelyn Jones Fayeteville Free Weekly April 24, 2003 Artist Doug Randall decided to turn his home into an art gallery and opened for business as The Rocky Creek Art Gallery on November 1, 2002. I drew Doug, a painter, while he and his wife Suzy told me about their gallery home. The Randalls will host an Open House at Rocky Creek Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. The Rocky Creek Art Gallery holds a variety of works at a variety of prices. Art gift cards and small pottery pieces range in cost from $5-10, while some paintings sell for $3,000. Suzy said the wide variety means everybody can afford a piece of art. “Whether they’re wearing it, eating off it, or just looking at it.” Doug said that long before they opened as a gallery people were coming out and buying paintings off the wall because it’s so close to town. Doug displayed in several local galleries in the past, “and they’ve all gone under.” Suzy said. In 1978 the Randalls moved to their current location four miles south of 15th Street off of Armstrong Road. Then they spent years adding on to their house. Using the occasional help from a roofer or plumber “Doug and I built it by ourselves,” Suzy said. Doug calls his house “kind of an oddity.” They preserved some of Northwest Arkansas’ history by creating their home from many pieces of buildings around town. “Most of what you see is recycled.” Doug said. There’s a hand rail down to the den that came from City Hall. They used a door from the old Heine’s Restaurant in Springdale. They even used wood from the Juvenile Detention Center and a Fay Jones designed house. “We’ve got a door off the old Dream Merchant that was on Dickson Street.” Suzy laughed and told me “He’s always dragging something home, and I always try to get him to use it.” Each room is a different level and every room is filled with paintings, wall hangings, and sculpture. “I’m really proud of the house and the work that Doug put into it, building it for me. I always like to show it off.” Suzy told me she wants people to “see where an artist lives, how an artist lives.” Visitors can drink a cup of coffee and bond with the artist. “Here, artists actually come out and visit every once in a while. They sit. You never know who you’re going to run into out here.” Suzy said, “We want everybody to feel at home, because this is our home.” Artist Beverly Walker shows her hand-built clay and stoneware. Walker describes her work as usually as taking the form of figurative sculpture or wall pieces. She met the Randalls about five years ago and was invited by the Randalls to show at their gallery. “I agreed because there aren’t many local galleries and I do not do art fairs.” Walker said and added that what makes Rocky Creek Art Gallery different from an ordinary gallery is the fact that it is an artist owned gallery, and is casual and relaxed. Two other artists, Dick and Jeffe Okane, have watched the Randall home evolve over time. The Okanes are the original creators of prescription eyeglass window hangings at Rocky Creek Art Gallery. They said they can remember Doug turning the kids pool into a fishpond. “Doug’s house is manic but not disturbing manic. It just wraps its arms around you,” said Jeffe. “They get to live with all the neat things people are exhibiting.” They can walk through the garden sculptures. The Randall house was “tiny,” and it has grown from 3 rooms and two levels to a dozen different levels. Jeffe said that the house is constantly changing and is like “a painting in motion.” “It just makes sense to have an artist be a gallery owner,” Dick said. Because it’s a home, it’s a lot warmer somehow,” Jeffe said. “It’s more participatory.” It’s something you can wander through instead of just four plain walls with paintings. “You get to see how the art works in a living space.” Oddly, the Okanes knew the Randalls for years before they found out that Doug was an artist. “He’s modest about his stuff. I love his paintings,” Jeffe said. Dick and Jeffe thought of Doug as a carpenter. Jeffe said that she and Dick were shocked when they discovered that Doug was not just a painter, but “a very competent painter.” One neighbor surprised the Randalls after the gallery sign appeared on the road by bringing some of his art to sell. “There’s a lot of artists in this town and very few places for them to show,” Doug said. “There are so many wonderful artists here in Northwest Arkansas and they’re not being represented like they should be. We’re just trying to do that,” Suzy said. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/lori-west monthly 0.5 2021-10-29 https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/megan-chapman monthly 0.5 2021-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f1f6ddbab8227cf1ba872/1f5831ed-f787-4a6e-b9ba-f9708829c0b4/Megan+Chapman.jpg Published Writing - Megan Chapman - Megan Chapman Megan Chapman and her cat Evie The Artist’s Eye by Maryevelyn Jones Fayetteville Free Weekly 2003 Family and friends have always encouraged Megan Chapman in art and painting. Chapman was born and raised in Fayetteville. She returned to Fayetteville after receiving a bachelor’s of fine arts from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Chapman organized the Rebel Artist Collective in Fayetteville and also wrote interviews of local artists for an online section of The Morning News. She paints in the house she grew up in. Her inspiration and influences range from childhood memories of her parents’ and their friends’ artwork to art by Modigliani, Basquiat, and many others. After learning to paint realistic figures and objects she chooses painting in abstract. The thrill of uncertainty about what her finished work will look like gives her the excitement of creating it. She often listens to music by Brian Eno while painting, which she described a little like her paintings– without specific words but atmospheric and moving. Both listening to Eno’s music and the act of painting become a meditative process for Chapman. Even though she paints abstract, Chapman still shows balance, structure, line, color, and texture. Some people call her work retro 50’s jazz style. She describes her paintings as created primitive dreams. They show just enough to think about tangible things but never really shows a precise object. First, she builds bumpy texture of lines and crags directly on the canvas. She does this by using a piece of paper that already has acrylic-modeling paste built up on it to add paste to a new canvas. Then she moves to oil color. Certain colors, such as deep rusty oranges, yellow ochre, and blues appeal to her more than other colors. To finish the look she wants, she fuses lines of charcoal on top of the oil. Chapman’s paintings are on display at Rocky Creek Art Gallery, at Common Grounds, and at the Ozark Art Center’s 5x5 show during October. She continuously paints and changes out the paintings she sells with new ones. You can see even more of her work at www.meganchapman.com. https://www.maryevelynjones.com/publishedwriting/free-fuel-from-waste monthly 0.5 2021-10-31