A house on a hill and a hill with a view is the recipe for inspiration Powell River artist Meghan Hildebrand has found in her new home.
The view beholds an untouched panorama where the world of bustle and technology has not yet crept in at the edges. Hildebrand’s home overlooks Malaspina Strait, allowing her an unfettered view of the Sunshine Coast seascape.
A native of Whitehorse, Hildebrand went to Nelson when she was 19, a flourishing arts community tucked into the mountains in the south-eastern corner of the province. She found her way to Powell River on a road trip she and her husband took with a mind to investigate prospective small towns that presented a triad of possibility: inspiration, possibility for future growth and affordable real estate. After touring the entire province, Powell River came out on top.
Now, in addition to developing the widely successful branding image for Townsite Brewing, Hildebrand has committed more time to exploring her own themes, developing her own unique style that is largely evident in her recent series “That Crackle.” It’s a professional choice that is netting early results for the BC artist who is now garnering international attention.
She is represented in Canadian galleries—Mayberry Fine Art in Winnipeg and Toronto, Masters Gallery in Calgary, Bugera Matheson in Edmonton and Madrona Gallery in Victoria.
Hildebrand was recently commissioned to design a cover for the spring and summer festival edition of BC Musician Magazine. It is her latest foray into a musical theme that for the independent artist was unplanned, but nevertheless became a mainstay of her commercial art production.
In speaking about themes that emerge within her work, an element of what she calls “storytelling” springs from the historical record and is represented in symbols that, in her latest series “Mapas y cuentas” seem to provide a sturdy foundation from which the rest of her work emerges. The series was shown recently at Ishuakara Casa Estudio, Oaxaca City. It was her first international showing and Meghan attended six weeks ago.
“The notion of storytelling is a good fit for my work,” she explained. “I try to create visual points of entry in the story and then develop bridges and transitions to lead through the painting, not only so that people can be free to interpret what they see, but also in a way that represents a deeper historical element.”
Hildebrand said having the opportunity to travel and to work in other countries afforded her a perspective on how people in other cultures engage in art. “The gallery showing in Oaxaca had an excellent turnout, despite that I was not a local painter. Some 150 people or more came through the studio that day. When they came through the door they went straight for the walls. They sought to be engaged by the art and how it spoke to them.”
Artists in Oaxaca often present a marriage of politics and culture blended with the creative licence of the artist. “Here we are often hesitant to step out and make such statements,” she said. “There is sometimes an unspoken requirement to avoid making such statements.”
Speaking about the decision to move to Powell River, Hildebrand said she was struck by the spirit of the place, and the potential that seemed to crackle in the air here. “We wanted to be some place we could be part of the community and contribute to what was going on, as well as draw inspiration from the people and a sense of place,” she said. She could sense that something was about to happen here, and she wanted to be here when it did.
Readers wishing to see more of Meghan's work can visit Dancing Tree Gallery in Crossroads Village Mall.
