Megan Wheatley (b. 2000 UK) is a British artist based in London currently studying for her MA Painting at the Royal College of Art.
Megan's paintings emerge from a practice informed by Zen, one that prioritises presence, suspends judgement, and quiets the ego. Her work investigates the essence of existence through subtle sensations of being grounded within a particular space. Before painting, she prepares her materials by mixing raw pigments with a dispersion binder, gradually building colour through the combination of multiple pigments. This preparatory process functions as a ritual, easing her into a meditation and allowing the work to begin without preconception.
Megan paints intuitively, allowing layers to accumulate, shift, and settle without correction. The paintings evolve organically, guided by attentiveness rather than intention. Decisions arise as responses to what is already present on the surface.
Place plays a vital role in the work. Light, atmosphere, and community shape the quality of attention she brings to painting, embedding each work with the conditions of its making. Each painting is inseparable from where and when it was created, reflecting a shared human search for grounding. Titles are generated through a coded system based on location, date, and day, anchoring each work to a specific moment in time and space.