The SS25 collection collaborates with contemporary Canadian painter and long-time friend Meghan Hildebrand. Created out of dreamlike explorations of places real and imagined, her artwork invites the viewer to get lost in worlds with few boundaries and to place themselves in open-ended narratives. We interviewed her to learn more about her upbringing, and how her environment has been a big influence on her work.
Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up and how did you get your start as an artist?
I am currently located in the Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada, where I’ve lived for about 20 years. I was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, and I’ve always lived in small towns, which gave me a unique childhood experience. My mother was an artist, and it was just the two of us for the first few years of my childhood. My earliest memories are of getting positive affirmations for my drawings from her, it was a way for us to connect and myself to be seen in the world.
I’ve always identified as an artist. The art scene in the 80s was thriving in northern Canada, and there was never a doubt in my mind that being an artist was a viable career. It clicked a little later that it was going to be tough, but I always believed in myself.
I’ve been a painter for the last 24 years. I finished art school in 2001 and didn’t have a Plan B. Small-town living has made my dream possible, in terms of affordability. Sometimes I think about how my life would have been different if I had lived in a larger city with a more thriving arts community, but I feel a real sense of community here, and the opportunity to have my own studio space I’m so grateful for.
When you started to create art as a child, were you always drawn to painting or were you experimenting with different mediums?
As a child, I began by drawing. I’ve always lived in a beautiful landscape where I could look at mountains every day. My first drawings were of layers and layers of mountains. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I started to experiment with watercolor paints, and I didn’t find my true voice until I went to art school.
In my first color theory class it kind of hit me: what excited me the most was combining colors, learning the science behind them, and how they can connect and interact. That’s when I decided to be a painter. I occasionally return to watercolor because it taps into a different aspect of creativity for me.
When I paint using acrylics on canvas, it’s more of a problem-solving exercise where I correct, fix, and innovate. When I’m painting with watercolor, I’m back in my childhood and it becomes very stream of consciousness, drawing shapes and forms that I’m comfortable with.
Have you created larger works with watercolor?
A few years ago my art dealer in Victoria, Michael Warren, encouraged me to try creating large-scale watercolors. They were made on 4’x5’ watercolor paper. I do love working on a large scale, but my preferred medium is acrylic and canvas for that. The watercolors I create now are usually small, framable, more accessible pieces I do for markets.
Renegado
Your pieces Renegado and Secret Drawer are featured in our SS25 collection. Can you tell me about the process behind creating these works and what they mean to you?
I’ve always been drawn to painting landscapes, but I appreciate a good abstract. I don’t think people often understand how challenging an abstract is. When you don’t have a reference, you’re really on your own to make a painting that works, and Renegado for me was a real success exploring abstract.
There are elements of a landscape in the work, there are mountains, trees, and clouds, but they’re not immediately evident. The piece leaves a lot of opportunity for viewers to see themselves reflected in the work.
Right before I made Renegado I was exploring the idea of quilting in paintings. I was pretty close to learning how to quilt but realized I didn’t have the bandwidth for more mediums. It occurred to me that I could explore quilting with my painting, so I did a series where I was painting a quilt. I love that within every square there’s a story and within every textile, there’s a story. There are layers of narrative opportunity.
Ideas from that series of works spilled over into this painting, where you see all of the separate patterns almost as fabric scraps. The painting process for me is like making chaos that I have to sort out, making a big mess to clean up. Renegado is like a big mess, but I worked with it enough until I felt there was harmony there.
Secret Drawer came to me quite differently. There are beautiful beaches here and I’m always picking up rocks. I had found a pebble and was thinking about the miracle of it, how old it was, how much it had seen. I was exploring the idea of all the stories within a grain of sand or a pebble. Instead of looking at a pile of shapes, or a forest full of trees, I was looking at one shape. I brought in elements of quilting and color matching and then cut the edge off so that you could see the inside of the geode.
Some of my earliest memories are children’s books my mother gave to me. I was always attracted to the habitats where the animals lived, the little caves, a rabbit’s home with a door under the tree, little doors, and ways to enter the painting and imagine yourself inside. Creating the geode appeals to me in that way of sitting inside something.
The title Secret Drawer comes from trying to tap into that magical feeling. I try to name paintings in a way that opens the mind. I like the name to bring more to the piece, not to tell you what you’re looking at. Obviously, there’s no drawer in the painting, and you don’t know what the secret is, so I’m hoping that it creates questions and makes the art more interesting.
Secret Drawer
What do you do to get inspired when you’re in a creative block or looking to start a new project?
In the summer, I spend a lot of time on the water exploring the coast and taking a lot of pictures. I’m only a five-minute walk away from an old-growth forest, so if I’m in a rut I’ll step out, go to the beach, or walk in the woods. I find that to be a good reset, and also a good way to be in the moment and have gratitude. Everything I experience taps into my work, so I try to live an interesting and meaningful life.
How has your career as an artist changed over the years?
I’ve tried hard to innovate and re-invent with every series I’ve made. I’ve avoided falling into a category or repeating successes. I need to stay engaged with what I’m doing, to keep presenting something new, and to keep discovering. I try hard to find new influences and break new ground with each project.
I have kept the same voice, but I now have 30 years of painting experience behind me. I can express my ideas more easily and get from a concept to a painting that I’m happy with with less frustration. These days I’m working less in my head and more by the influence of my surroundings.
I recently attended the Biennale in Venice, and that trip reminded me that my perspective is unique. A lot of folks where I live are painting the ocean and the mountains, so it’s easy to think that my work isn’t original. When put into the context of the rest of the world, this area and my voice are unique.
Who are the artists that inspire you?
At the Biennale, there was work by oil painter Salmon Toor, who I’ve been following for a few years but had never seen in person. I work in acrylic, and I’m happy with that, but to see a really good oil painting is just different. The richness and the skill that it takes to pull it off is amazing.
The Group of Seven, a famous group of Canadian landscape painters from the early 1900s, I’ve always enjoyed. Tom Thomson is my favorite in the group. He made luscious, direct paintings of his experience of the outdoors.
Present-day painters that I enjoy are Canadian John Hartman and American Lisa Sanditz. I admire painters who can get a message across while keeping their work loose and alive, and they’re doing that.
The art that I like to collect is from Inuit artists. Shuvinai Ashoona is one, I have a couple of her pieces. I think that Inuit art reminds me of my childhood in the north, and they’re all figurative. I don’t paint figures, but they’re what I like to be surrounded by at home.
You describe your artwork as sharing the experience of places real and imagined. Can you elaborate on this?
I am moved by being in the forest. I like to get caught up in the thoughts of all the life that’s around me, under my feet and in the trees. Trying to capture the essence of the beings that are around me can make for maximalist, overwhelming style, and I like that. I like creating paintings that offer more to discover.
You know that you’re experiencing a forest, but the more you look, you know less and less of what you’re looking at. Everything I create starts with a seed of my own experience, but then I try to deliver something extra. I want to spark a magical feeling of discovery.
Tell me about your history with Meg. How did the two of you become friends?
A decade ago, I received an email out of the blue from a designer who stumbled across my work and asked me if I would be interested in doing a trade. At that time I was a working artist, and it was a bit of a struggle to make ends meet. The idea of having some nice clothes was very appealing. I checked out her work and I loved all of it. She picked out a painting and I got a few pieces. We stayed in touch, and I've been buying her pieces ever since.
Over the fall, Meg reached out to me about the collaboration. It’s not something I had ever asked for, but I had seen her work with Meg Indy last year and knew that I would be interested if the opportunity ever presented itself. I’m so stoked!
Meghan wears the Mercado Dress next to Renegado.
What are your favorite Meg pieces at the moment?
One piece that I wear a lot is from the 2023 spring collection, the Marseille Dress in Toile Print. I love her exaggerated shapes and statement colors, and I love this past fall’s collection with its workwear, and utilitarian edge, especially the Mercado Dress which I’m wearing today. Of course, I love the Scorpio Pants. I don’t know what I did before them because nothing else is comfortable anymore.
How do you continue to stay inspired in today's political climate?
I try hard to create joy in my studio. I’m keeping my friends close, engaging with the community, and being a safety net for the people who need one. I want to go to bed at night knowing that I’ve been a good member of my community.
I’m trying not to scroll or watch the news regularly. A lot of us are very stressed and are looking for ways to stay afloat. I’m so grateful that I have an art practice to get lost in every day. I wish everyone had that opportunity, I realize that I'm very lucky to have had the artist in me nurtured and to have the opportunity to practice.
I’ve been opening my studio to the community and have been having events in the space. We just had a sticker-making party yesterday, and one of the candidates for the New Democratic Party was there. It was a great way to connect and organize. Using my space to organize more is certainly on the table this year.
Meghan in front of her studio.
Where can people learn more about you and see your work?
On my website you’ll find where my dealers are located, my available work, past and present, and all of the pieces I've written or have had written by others about my work.
Now until February 22, 2025, I am in a group show in Portland called Witches of the West, curated by artist and author Danielle Krysa. You can find out more about that show here.