My name is Megan Grindle and I am a contemporary artist based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting with a minor in art history from West Virginia University. 

2018: West Virginia Univeristy Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition 

2018: West Virginia University Library Rotating Space Exhibition

2017: West Virginia University Juried Student Exhibition Dean of Libraries Award

2017: West Virginia University Juried Student Exhibition Juror’s Choice Award

2017: West Virginia University Juried Student Exhibition

2014: West Virginia University Art and Design Scholarship                                                            

2014: Norwin High School Art Show                                                                                                                                                                                                       

2014: Westmorland Cultural Trust- Visual Arts Award of Artistic Merit                                                   

2014: Norwin Art League Scholarship                                                                                            

2012: Honorable Mention: Christian Leadership Academy Art Show, Greensburg, Pennsylvania 

Pablo Picasso once said, “if you give meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are.” My work tends to be on the experimental side of the art spectrum. Although I love the outcome of my work, I am more interested in the artistic process and how I get to my finish product. For instance, how the paint interacts with the shape of the canvas, how I can manipulate it to go in certain directions, and how I react to the designs that were created. I do everything I can to try and create a compelling and interesting work of art. When viewers look at my paintings, they see different ideas within it and a lot of the times it’s not my original ideas. My intention is never to have the viewers look at my work and know what my ideas were, yes, I will explain what is happening and what my inspiration is, but it’s more about what they see and how they respond to it. I want a conversation to arise when people view my art.

My influences range from the ripples created by movement in water, to celestial bodies in the universe, to the master painters in art history. There are some artists that I look to for ideas and educational reasons. Glenn Brown, Vincent Van Gogh, Cosmina, Pedro Campos, Piet Mondrian, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Gerhard Richter, Philipp Karcher, and Stanley Twardowicz. These artists all have different styles but together they bring a total artistic inspiration.  

I don’t just spill paint onto a canvas and call it a day. Instead I start off by brushing on an under-painting and then pour the fluid acrylic paint. While it is wet I manipulate and move it by pressing down onto the canvas to go in the direction I want, I move the fluid paint with my fingers or a brush, or I use my breath to expand the colors into a larger area. After that layer is completely dried I go in with a small detail brush and accentuate different aspects and bring the details to the surface of the painting. I like to create this layered effect within my pieces, so there is always a new dimension to look at.

My fascination with this abstract fluid style is the randomness of it and how I react to these sporadic designs. It is an intriguing experience to not know what the outcome is going to be. I have some thought about the colors I intend to use based on references, but as for the design, it’s an unconscious decision. I let my hand do most of the work. I look to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theories for this unconscious decision-making; “the unconscious mind determines the behavior way more than expected.”