Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Walker.
Meredith, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started painting when my second daughter was just over a month old. It started as a way to decompress during the early days of motherhood. I was a graphic designer before having children, and had started to feel a disconnection in the creation process— I felt a strong desire to begin working with my hands again. In the beginning, I painted expressive abstract works, using materials I had around the house. As my children have grown over the years, I’ve found that my work has begun to take on more structure and repetition. I have a greater capacity for inspiration that comes from the world around me as opposed to my early work which relied mostly on internal processes and intuitive movement.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This is an interesting question, seeing as my first year or so as an artist was a time marked by postpartum depression. So in some ways, yes the road has been smooth— art has been a vehicle for escape, understanding and acceptance. In other ways, these years have been the hardest years of my life. I think that is what I have come to love about painting the most. It has seen me through the best and the worst of times without judgment. It is my safe place.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a mixed-media painter. Most recently, you can recognize my work for its folk art style, utilizing rich color and texture and inspiration from various textiles.
I began creating in my current style at a time when I was beginning to understand what it means to lay new roots and create a safe and joyful place for my family. I have begun developing a catalog of images that are repeated throughout— the dogwood tree, dogs, flowers, children, houses. All of these things are a reflection of my life and what brings me happiness. Some works are experimentations in patterns and textiles, intentionally imperfect. This particular body of work is a discovery of home, acceptance, and simple joy.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Pivot! Right before Covid-19 started, I had planned for a large part of my income to come from live abstract paintings for events. I didn’t even book one before the world shut down. I kept painting and accepting commissions, and I believe my work is better for it!
Contact Info:
- Website: meredithwalkerstudio.com
- Instagram: @meredithwalkerstudio
- Facebook: facebook.com/meredithwalkerstudio
Image Credits
Katie Wilson Photography
