Spencer Meagher is teaching a workshop in January at Heartland Art Club. Spencer gave us a wonderful interview for you to enjoy.
How and when did you begin painting?
As an 8 year old I and my friends began drawing in our notebooks in school. In a short time this morphed into drawing songbirds. At that point my goal was to become a wildlife artist. Concurrently, my mother recognized my strong interest in art, and even though she was recently widowed, she found the means to get me the supplies I needed to paint and draw. Some of my fondest memories are of cold northern Minnesota winter evenings where Mom and my brother and I would gather around the dining room table and all paint together.
Are there other forms of art that you’re involved in?
Involved in? Not really. But I do think working in clay and learning to sculpt would be a lot of fun.
You have been active in Plein air for years. What drew you to Plein air?
It is a great way to meet other artists, and when you paint with others you find a lot of inspiration. But the number one reason I love plein air is the spontaneity of it. The scene is perpetually changing and evolving which forces you to capture the essence of the moment and not a static scene such as you would get painting from a photograph.
Do you feel that working from life over photos has elevated your painting?
Yes, for the very reasons mentioned in the previous question. Lighting changes. Shadows move. Wind creates movement in trees. All these things can’t be painted as they are. They have to be suggested. My goal is to leave my viewer with the “impression” of what I felt and experienced that particular day.
You have achieved many awards and accolades. Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, Outdoor Painter, and Plein Air Collector have covered your work in their publications. You participate in nationally ranked invitational Plein air events. What do you credit for this level of achievement in your work?
I would love to say practice. But, I’m the first to tell you I don’t paint near as much as I should. How much better could I be if I were diligent in my discipline to paint? Still, the amount of painting I do, especially plein air painting, has made me a much better artist. I also study closely the work artists I admire. I dissect it and try to implement aspects I like into my paintings. Take what you can use and leave the rest. And this is exactly what I tell students in my classes and workshops. My goal isn’t to make them into clones of me. My goal is to impart as much knowledge as I can. It is their responsibility to utilize what they like and forget the rest. I want to help them become a better version of the artist already inside them.
Your teaching schedule is robust. What draws you to teaching?
I enjoy spending time with like minded artists who take their craft seriously and want to be a better painter. If I can help them discover a new fundamental or technique, I find that really makes me happy. Oftentimes students will paint a much better version of my demo. And when I see that happen it makes me smile.
What do you want your students to learn?
For sure, I want them to learn techniques that are new to them, but the most important thing is that “you never arrive” as an artist. The day a painter thinks they are good and have nothing else to learn, that is the day they are done. Their work will stop improving and will become stale.
What is it like to help other artists reach their full potential by taking workshops with you?
Extremely fulfilling. In the previous answers I touched on it, but for me to see a student have their eyes opened to a new approach in painting is what it is all about. Equally important to me is seeing the students have a great time. Workshops in particular are pressure cookers. Attendees feel a need to perform at a maximum level, trying to absorb everything that the instructor is putting out there. I will see them scribbling furiously hoping to get down some bullet proof formula. Notes are wonderful, but I think most students would do well to just listen and watch my demos. Just absorb the experience and when it is their turn to paint it is more likely to flow freely from them than if they are looking back and forth between their notes and their painting.
What do artists gain from studying with you?
I believe most will gain a greater sense of confidence. My teaching tagline is something like “soft spoken in his critical analysis, Spencer works to build each students confidence by pointing out the strengths in a students painting and offering positive criticism to improve the weaker areas’ ‘. I never yell, scream or throw things. I always try to find the good in each painting before addressing the aspects that need improving. And when I address those I try to do them in a way that makes the student feel encouraged.
Artists must balance their professional life of work and travel with their personal life. What in your personal life is important to you?
My wife and our relationship is critical. I am also very involved in my church. I teach Sunday School and preach occasionally. Plein air requires a great deal of traveling and finding the balance between making a living and neglecting all the needs of being home can be tough. I find if I am on the road for two weeks, that is too long, at least for me. 8-10 days isn’t too bad. 5-7 is much better. The answer to this question would be different for everyone, but you just have to keep your art in its place. For people who are passionate about creating, that process can be all consuming. Guard against this carefully. There is nothing more important than your family and personal life.
Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you?
Yes, I love painting. I do it so much better and more often when I am surrounded by other artists. The same will be true for you, as well. That is why classes and workshops are so important to the creative process. You learn new ways of seeing and doing. You become inspired by being surrounded with other like minded individuals. And you build a larger network which will lead you to greater opportunities to forward your career…if a career is what you are after. If you just enjoy painting, it will deepen your enjoyment of the creative process.