New painting: "Crush," oil on canvas, 24"x24"

I just received the high-resolution images of one of my recent paintings from my photographer and couldn't be more thrilled to share them. It's not often that you see a photograph of a painting and feel that the camera did the art justice - but in these images, I see every detail and color captured correctly.

That might be because my photographer has access to a shiny new 100 megapixel camera that spits out images that are a whopping 400MB in raw form. Behold:

"Crush," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

This painting is the latest of my new series of paintings and drawings that use the nude figure to explore our capacity for a vast range of emotional and psychological experiences. Expressions of fury and rage become the raw contemplation of our deepest fears; erotic desire or pleasure; sharp, crushing grief or despair.

To read the story of how this series came about, click here.

More detail shots:

"Crush (detail)," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

"Crush (detail)," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

"Crush (detail)," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

"Crush (detail)," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

"Crush (detail)," 24"x24" oil on canvas, 2017, Megan Van Groll.

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New drawing: "What Came Before," 11x14, graphite on paper, 2017.

"What Came Before." 11" x 14," graphite on paper, 2017.

Every now and then I like to take a break from my usual medium - oil on canvas or panel - to get back to my roots. One of the aspects I love most about working with graphite is that it feels inherently nostalgic. As an artistic, introverted kid, you could keep me entertained for hours with just a few sheets of loose leaf computer paper and #2 pencils. Now my materials are a little more sophisticated and professional grade. I still have that #2 (which actually means 2B) pencil - but it's supplemented by its HB, 4B, 6B, and 8B counterparts. 

I am calling this one "What Came Before." It 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."

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.