Outdoor Central Oregon Issue 5 | June/July 2018 | Page 26

26 ART| MEGAN MARIE MYERS Megan Marie Myers is a painter, illustrator, and native Oregonian. Her painting studio is walking distance from downtown Bend. A love of the outdoors is her constant inspiration; when she is not painting, she is out exploring trails and running in the Oregon outback. Myers’ work explores themes of companionship, protection, wilderness, and the greatest adventure of all, love. She typically uses children and animals as her central figures. Her intention is to represent the limitless sense of wonder, the yearning to explore, and the resilience that each of us carry within. The characters in her work roam through Oregon landscapes, inspired by our region’s mountains, forests, deserts, rock formations, beaches, and rivers. Before moving back to her home state, Myers studied painting at Seattle University and then spent a decade working in arts administration in the Seattle area. Her career in the arts began in management of municipal public art programs, which led her to a 5-year pe- riod as a project manager for world renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly, coordinating his private commissions and gallery exhibitions worldwide. Myers moved to Portland in 2012. There, she began to focus on her own work and build a business creating original artwork, fine art prints, and greeting cards. In early 2016, she relocated again to Bend, bringing her closer to the outdoors where she relishes exploration, the foundation of her artwork. JUN/JUL 2018 27