Notes from the Studio: with Megan Menzies

HP What is the first thing you do in the morning?
MM I normally get to the studio for around 10am. The first thing I do depends on what stage I’m at with the work in the studio. If I’m half way through a painting I’ll get to work straight away. If I’m making drawings or starting something new I can be a bit slower to get going. I’ll normally put the radio on, or an album (I tend to go few phases of listening to the same album over and over), make a cup of tea and do a bit of admin or writing before I start working.

HP Describe where you produce your work, and why you chose that space.
MM I share a studio space in Hackney Wick with a very good friend and artist, Lara Davies. It’s in an old warehouse building on a floor with lots of different types of creative studios. It has a window, it doesn’t get too cold in winter or too hot in summer, it’s big enough for both of us and there’s a fire escape/balcony overlooking Stratford where we like to sit outside and eat our lunch in the summer!

HP Where do you go to feel energised creatively?
MM I love to go on long walks. If I have the time, I like to take trips outside of London but if I’m in London I’ll just do long city walks. I also love walking on Hampstead Heath and swimming in the pond. I often have sparks of creativity when I’m swimming there. I especially like going on a late summer’s evening – it’s nice to be be surrounded by so much green and to wade through the mirror like surface of the pond with the low sun glinting in my eyes. I also go to galleries and museums when I can, or if I’m in need of a creative boost. I went to the National Gallery recently and felt really excited looking at Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières. Even though I’ve looked at it many times before sometimes paintings will just jump out at you and demand your attention. I love the soft, fuzzy, hazy effect of his brushstrokes and the clean, light colour palette.

HP If you could choose one word to describe your work, what would it be?
MM Blushing.

HP What do you do when you need to escape the studio and reset your mind?
MM Running and walking are good resets on a day to day basis. But if I’m in need of a proper break my favourite thing is to go on holiday, somewhere by the sea and read all day!

HP What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
MM When it comes to creativity and imagination one of my tutor’s at the RCA always suggested thought experiments. He told me to imagine being a fly. To fly around scenes in my imagination and always look for different view points and perspectives.

HP If you weren’t an artist what would you do?
MM That’s a tricky question. I’m sure it would somehow still be art related. I love writing, reading and research. I studied Art History before I started painting and considered going into academia/curation. Or maybe I would be a counsellor/psychotherapist…

HP What is one thing you couldn’t live without in your studio?
MM My painting trolley. My boyfriend’s dad used to be a carpenter and he built it for me a few years ago. It’s the perfect size, it has little hooks for all my brushes and it’s extra special because he built it.

HP What book are you reading right now?
MM I’m reading a 1970’s novel by Beryl Bainbridge, The Bottle Factory Outing.

HP What is the best decision you have made?
MM In 2017 I moved to Poznan, Poland. I wanted to take a sort of gap year, to immerse myself in a new city and culture. I ended up staying for a year and a half. Whilst I was in Poznan I taught English at a language school but I also started painting. It was really creatively stimulating being in a new place. I became friends with some students at the University of Fine Arts in Poznan and even joined their painting trip to a seaside resort on the North coast of Poland. I also did lots of travelling within Poland, one of the highlights being hiking in the Beskid mountains. I ended up exhibiting the paintings I had made during my time there in some local galleries. It was a really exciting time, I feel like that’s where I became an artist so I remember it very fondly