Meg McLean |  Water Marks

E.N. Wennberg Gallery

Water is the theme that flows through this collection of paintings, whether rippling, still, flowing, sparkling, or frozen solid. In Water Marks, Meg McLean explores the quiet beauty of lakes, rivers, and coastlines, capturing their ever-changing light, color, and movement. From the Great Lakes of Michigan to the shores of Maine and the winding rivers of the Upper Valley, her paintings reflect the deep connection between water and place. Many of the paintings were created standing along a shoreline, under a bridge, floating in a kayak at water level, or on a cliff overlooking miles of waves. Look closely, and you may even see some remnants of beach sand in the paint.

“A river passing through a landscape catches the world and gives it back redoubled: a shifting, glinting world more mysterious than the one we customarily inhabit.” —Olivia Laing, To the River

Biography | Meg McLean grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near the shores of Lake Superior. She began enthusiastically, you might say single-mindedly, creating pictures as a child and has never stopped. She is known for her oil paintings of landscapes, which capture scenes from the Vermont hills to British skies. In addition to being a painter, Meg has illustrated and written stories for publications such as Click, Weekly Reader, and ZooBooks and has illustrated numerous titles for Flyleaf Press. Her diverse experiences include exhibition designer for Baker Library, a set painter, a framer, a bookseller, a sailing instructor, a grouse beater in the Scottish Highlands, and a painting teacher. Even while holding advanced degrees in painting and drawing, she credits teaching others as being the single most valuable part of her art education. She earned an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and regularly exhibits in Northeast galleries, as well as with the Copley Society of Art in Boston, where she is a member.

Artist Statement | Meg McLean is primarily a landscape oil painter dedicated to painting from direct observation whenever possible. To do this, McLean hikes, paddles, bikes, or drives to various locations, carrying her paint box and gear. She has been painting ‘en plein air’ since it was known as ‘painting outside’. Her artistic inspirations include John Constable, Winslow Homer, and the Canadian Group of Seven, all of whom were recognized for painting outdoors, no matter the weather. McLean focuses on the shapes created by the interplay of light and form and the mood they evoke rather than the specific location itself. When she finds an idea, she makes a small pencil sketch that maps out the dark and light areas, establishing the main value shapes and composition. This design is then transferred to the canvas and interpreted with color. McLean’s larger studio pieces develop from the concepts she discovers outdoors through sketches, color studies, and photographs. When working on larger paintings, she relies on her imagination for color and shapes, as well as her sketches and photos taken on location. She believes that her imagination struggles to create anything as captivating as nature, where the variety is limitless.