Artist: Megan Rieker
Title: Metamorphosis Chapter 4
Medium: Oil and gold leaf
Unframed Dimensions: 11 x 14 inches
Framed Dimensions: 13 x 16 inches
Price: $825
Artist Statement: We can all identify chapters in our lives—childhood, studenthood, motherhood. For me, it is now chapter four: full-time artist.
This self portrait encapsules my feelings as I dive into this new chapter of life. The style mimics the religious icon paintings of saints. The cracked halo symbolizes my inadequacy at being a perfect Latter-day Saint. The pattern is a metamorphosis changing into a complicated tessellation (inspired by MC Escher). This relates how challenging my new life is. The lizards reference a favorite puzzle our family owned and our recently deceased son loved. The brush with red paint is raised as if it is a holy relic—for me, it is the tool that has brought me close to my Savior. The background is left unfinished because I, too, am unfinished.
Artist Bio: For the past 25 years, Megan Rieker has been painting women of the gospel. She started her journey at a high school of the arts outside of Washington DC, then went on to receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Maryland Institute College of Art. For 10 years she lived overseas while raising a family and continuing her art. She began her “Women of Inspiration” painting series in 2000 and continues it today. Megan’s work has been featured in the Ensign magazine, multiple museums, and various books and CD covers, as well as in Church videos, manuals, and meetinghouses. She has spoke at BYU Women’s Conference and throughout the US. Her goal in both art and speaking is to inspire, uplift, and bring women closer to their Heavenly Father.
