Megan Dorien
Megan Dorien was going to school for computer animation when
something small changed everything.
After moving to her first apartment in South Philadelphia, she wanted art on the walls, but was flat broke. That drove her to start painting on “found objects”—old pieces of wood, discarded metal, etc.
People loved her work and the hobby had turned into an obsession. She spent all of her free time painting and planning.
“Looking back, I can't even remember the feeling when not painting was an option,” she says.
CheckAdvantage is happy to present the designs of Megan Dorien on our checks, address labels, and checkbook covers as part of our Licensed Artist Series.
Megan doesn’t employ any one artist technique because each piece calls for something different. She uses acrylics for details, spray paint for feel, and house paint for backgrounds. Megan might also use a heat gun for texture and a chemical called Xylene to replicate the quality antique photos possess.
She describes her approach to art much like a photographer’s. Megan says the world is made up of so many ideas that her goal is to focus on one and give it the time and attention it deserves.
“I like suspending moments in time,” she says. “If you describe the content of a lot of my paintings, they seem plain, maybe even boring, but I find beauty in that.”
Her work is diverse and she is constantly surprise by the reactions to her art. She doesn’t hope that it makes people a certain way as long as it makes them feel something.
Even if she’s made someone angry with a piece, she finds comfort in knowing that she’s had a direct impact on another human being. She describes it as a very “binding” feeling.
“I think I have accomplished a great deal in my art being young. I have (hopefully) many, many more years to refine and improve my art . . . I love meeting people and when those people enjoy my work, it humbles me intensely and it's an added bonus to what I do,” she says.
To see more of Megan’s Dorien work, check out her website at mineisyours.net. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
