My work featured in American Art Collector Magazine

My recent painting of Ana Montoya, titled “The Firestarter,” was recently featured in American Art Collector magazine, a national publication.

The portrait was created for a Chicago exhibition titled “Creator & The Muse,” featuring portraits of artists, collectors, gallerists and other art world elites from the genre of figurative painting.

The exhibition, scheduled to open May 15 at 33 Contemporary Gallery, was canceled due to COVID-19.

The painting’s subject, Ana Montoya, is an artist and the owner of AnArte Gallery in San Antonio.

“The Fire Starter (Portrait of Ana Montoya).” 24”x36,” oil on linen, 2020.

With a free account, the digital article is available to view on American Art Collector’s website.

"My Eyes Are Up Here" named Critic's Choice for top 5 art exhibits of the last 12 months by Fort Worth Weekly

My recent 2-person exhibit at Fort Works Art, “Kate Stipp & Megan Van Groll: My Eyes Are Up Here,” was recently published in Fort Worth Weekly’s annual “best of” selections for the past year as a critic’s choice for one of the top 5 art exhibits in Fort Worth of the past year.

“At Fort Works Art, Kate Stipp and Megan Van Groll tackled the female experience in My Eyes Are Up Here, a symphony of powerful figurative painting that was often as traditionally beautiful as slightly discomfiting.”

Read the full write-up at Fort Worth Weekly.

“Rebirth,” detail. 20”x20,” oil on linen, 2018.

"Crush" now available on Artsy through Zhou B Haus der Kunst

My 2017 painting, "Crush," is available via the Zhou B Haus der Kunst gallery in Chicago as part of the "Glorious Color" online exhibition, curated by Lorena Kloosterboer.

Check out the entire exhibition on Artsy here, and you may also purchase the work directly within Artsy.

"Crush," oil on canvas, 2017.

Opening of "My Eyes Are Up Here" at Fort Works Art

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Pictured: Kate Stipp, Megan Van Groll, Lauren Childs, Sarah Colby. 📷: Bill Stipp

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Kate Stipp & Megan Van Groll. 📷: Bill Stipp

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Kate Stipp & Megan Van Groll. 📷: Bill Stipp

Earlier this year, I was invited by Fort Works Art, a gallery in nearby Fort Worth, Texas, to participate in a 2-person show with fellow figurative painter Kate Stipp.  

I had 7 pieces ready to go at the time I got the call, and created 5 brand new ones for the show in the 9 intense weeks between the invitation and drop-off of the work. I'm thrilled with the way they all came out, and how well-paired they were with Kate's work. 

The opening was during Spring Gallery Night, one of the two most high-traffic evenings in the Fort Worth gallery scene. And the turnout lived up to the hype - it was packed!

"My Eyes Are Up Here" runs through May 5. For details on visiting, or to inquire about any of the work in the show, head over to fortworksart.com.

My work published in PoetsArtists' 10th Anniversary Issue

Three of my paintings and drawings have been featured in the 10th Anniversary issue of PoetsArtists, juried by Jay Menendez. 

Check it out and buy a print or digital copy using this link.

My first museum show: Accepted into WMOCA exhibition juried by Alyssa Monks

I'm very pleased to share some exciting news: my work has been accepted into the 2017 National Juried Art Exhibition at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibition was juried by an artist I have long admired, Alyssa Monks. 

From the exhibition materials:
Alyssa Monks, a Master of Contemporary Realism, is the Juror of this show. Alyssa sits on the Board of Trustees for the New York Academy of Art and was just recognized as one of the top 30 most influential female artists of our lifetime. Her works are exhibited and collected internationally.

Fun fact: Alyssa Monks and I both attended the drawing and painting program at Istituto Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy, though at different times. Her work is breathtaking and worth a look if you're not familiar. I'm honored to be part of this exhibition - my first in a museum - and to have been selected by a painter I've looked up to for so long.

Here's a zoomed-in detail shot of my new 11"x14" drawing that was selected for exhibition:

"What Came Before." Graphite on paper, 11"x14", 2017.

The opening is October 7 and the exhibition will be on view until December 29. For more information, visit wmoca.org.

This drawing is part of my ongoing series using the female form in various poses of struggle and combat to express and give shape to our emotional and psychological inner lives. Read more about that series in my recent blog post, "My paintings of fighting women: the origin story." And to see the full drawing, click here. 

My work published in Studio Visit magazine

I'm very pleased to share that my work is included in Volume 38 of Studio Visit magazine. Volume 38 was curated by Diana Gaston, Director of the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, NM.

Individual copies can be purchased for $15 using this online form, and the PDF is available free here.

My tiny oil paintings on NYC MetroCards for Single Fare 4

I'm very excited to share my 3 tiny submissions to Single Fare 4, a big show of small works on used NYC MetroCards. This is my second time participating in a Single Fare exhibition. The last show took place back in 2011 and now it's back by popular demand. Artists from around the country (and probably the world) create work with just one limitation - it must be created on the surface of a used NYC MetroCard.

Painting on such a small surface is definitely the challenge it appears to be. Even though my work has been shrinking slightly in the past few years (more typically in the 20"x20" to 24"x24" range than my previous 36"x48" canvases), that's nothing compared to the few inches you get with a MetroCard, which is roughly the size of a credit card. Painting so small forces you to be economical with your decisions - every tiny brush stroke matters in a critical way. 

The show opens September 16 from 5-10pm at Highline Stages (441 West 14th Street, NY, NY) and will be on view again Sunday, September 17 from 12-6pm.

Each card will be for sale for $100 each. The artist takes $70, and $30 go towards new scholarships at the New York Academy of Art and the Alumni Association of the New York Academy of Art. 

For more info, connect with Single Fare on Facebook and Instagram @singlefare.

Awarded a Publication Fellowship by Peripheral Vision Arts for Salon 2017

I'm pleased to share some exciting news from art journal Peripheral Vision Arts. I've been awarded a Publication Fellowship for their forthcoming Salon 2017, and will be featured in the publication with a portfolio of my work. 

From their release:

Peripheral Vision is pleased to award Publication Fellowships to forty eight emerging and mid-career professional American artists in conjunction with our inaugural salon-style exhibition, curated by critic Georgia Erger. Submitted works represent the diversity of contemporary art practice and occupy various points of intersection around common themes and aesthetic concerns. Salon 2017, forthcoming this fall, will take the form of an introductory essay by the curator containing links to artist project pages.

I look forward to seeing the all of the work together with Georgia Ergers' commentary when the publication is released this fall.

Thank you to Peripheral Vision Arts for the opportunity to be part of such a great group of artists. To check out the full list of artists, click here.

My work published in The New Nude, curated by Walt Morton for PoetsArtists Magazine

Two of my paintings were recently published in The New Nude, an art publication by PoetsArtists magazine, curated by Walt Morton. 

I was so thrilled to receive the book - not just to see my paintings, but because the rest of the work was so fascinating. Flipping through the pages, I felt inspired and motivated. In today's art world, it's considered a little old-fashioned to focus on painting the figure, but the artists in this printed exhibition confirm that figure painting is still as relevant, modern, and fresh as ever.

You can get a printed copy or purchase a PDF version here. You can also access the publication by becoming a supporter of independent arts magazine and community PoetsArtists on Patreon.