Megan Virona

Megan Virona | Un | 2020

Your works often feel like emotional landscapes — full of color, motion, and energy. How do you translate a feeling or memory into abstract form?

Most of the time, I’m not thinking while I work. I’m kind of in a dream like state. When I’m painting, I swatch colors that “feel right” in the moment. After a session — could be days, weeks, or even months I will then realize the similarities between my feelings, memories, and painting. I’ll stop and think “wow, there’s a lot of red and black in there” or “that looks pretty dark, what was I going through during that time?” And it will all tie together.

I let my hands and heart conjure up whatever they can in that trance and connect the dots later.

The first step for me is blind execution.

Many of your paintings evoke elements of nature — water, forests, light. What role does nature play in your creative process?

Most definitely! I have a deep passion for nature and it unintentionally comes out in my work.

Nature is a beautiful and vicious cycle. It’s full of creation, destruction, and rebirth. My work mirrors its rhythm. My color choices are heavily inspired by nature. I use a lot of brown, green, and blue. I add touches of yellow, oranges, and reds finding myself thinking of the jungle or wildlife.

Elements like water and earth really dominate my creations.

I love soil, rain, waterfalls, the ocean, and tropical plants. All living things are sacred to me. I find a lot of snake like patterns in my creations. Others have told me that they see a lot of birds and fish in my work.

Megan Virona | Aurelion | 2022

You mentioned exploring emotions like love, passion, anger, and melancholy. Is there one emotion that dominates your artistic language?

I am such a passionate person. I express and consume love intensely. That comes at a price. I experience intense pain. It makes me feel hatred and anger. All of these feelings are portrayed in my work.

I’d like to give full credit to love. I think that love is the fuel for every other emotion.

Megan Virona | Singapore At Night | 2022

How do travel and new environments influence your choice of color and composition?

I learned that purple is a very special color in Indonesia after I visited and experienced the culture. From that, I found a new appreciation for it. It started showing up more in my work. When I was living abroad in Bali, I saw the neighbor painting every morning. His art was beautiful. From that, I’ve noticed in Balinese art there are many, many small tiny little details. I went to a museum of art and saw the same thing. Tiny little details. My work started incorporating a lot of tiny little details. I met a man who told me that Indonesian women are so tough – they endure so much pain and they remain strong. I met an elder woman who gave me a flower, and held my hands for a few seconds just staring into my eyes with a humble smile. That interaction showed up in my work. Sometimes I would be painting and realize I don’t have all the equipment needed so I would need to improvise. I’d use rocks as a palette, squish up certain leaves to get colors I needed, etc. it made a difference in my pieces.

These are a few events that have inspired my art styles, techniques, colors, and patterns. I take these interactions to heart as they have allowed me to expand my options and mind. Being in a box kills your creativity. The way to be your most creative is to get uncomfortable and travel has allowed that to happen with every experience.

Megan Virona | Bali Rice Field | 2022

What inspires the contrast between the vibrant and darker tones in your works?

My emotions. I emphasize intensity deeply in everything I do. I don’t think my emotions would be captured accurately if there was any kind of buildup within the coloring. I don’t remember the last state of calm for me. I love to use my canvas as a therapy session.

I actually voiced this in another interview – as of right now, you won’t find much pink, gray, pastel colors in my work. I like to get straight to the point. I use a lot of primary colors and dark shades. My emotions are always one specific thing at a time- never mixed. That will be mirrored in my work.

Megan Virona | Eden | 2023

Abstract art often invites very personal interpretation. What kind of emotional response do you hope to evoke in viewers?

I want viewers to feel a sort of hunger, striving for something more. I’d love for them to see their ultimate passion and feel eager to reach it. I want people to indulge in their great desires. I know that message may be hard to read from a glance of my work. Id love to be a small gateway to opening that mindset.

Megan Virona | Eden On Fire | 2023

What does your creative process look like — from the first impulse to the final brushstroke?

I start with my canvas and a bunch of paper spread out on the floor. I transfer the paint directly to random papers and the canvas. I rarely use a palette or brushes. I’m mostly finger-painting. It feels very raw and I have an easier time transferring my emotions directly without a “bridge” of a brush.

I’m pretty impatient, so I usually finish my pieces in one whole session which could be one to three hours. I’ll use one or two more sessions to add details if I’m unsatisfied. I don’t like to mix my emotions up onto one piece. This is why I usually only have one session per piece. I could be in turmoil one day and capture it all. That’s beautiful to me. It could be one of the happiest days of my life captured onto a painting. That’s beautiful. I could be incredibly burnt out. I’ll capture it. That’s beautiful. I don’t like to blend things. After my session, I’ll let my canvas – and paper pieces sit and dry. The floor will be entirely covered! My little paper pieces are kind of like “souvenirs” of a session. Sometimes I like how they came out more than the actual canvas piece.