Meghan Hildebrand
Artwork from 2000-2009 by Meghan Hildebrand
Party On, Infinitron
Meghan Hildebrand
mixed media (48x36 in) 2006
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When examining the work of abstract artist Meghan Hildebrand, it is easy to feel the sharp sensation that comes from searching for something that never fully reveals itself. This is the first step toward the intense contemplation and introspection that her paintings inspire. Beyond that there is joy, mystery, and remembrance.
Hildebrand grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, and now lives with her husband Tony in Powell River, British Columbia, a small city northwest of Vancouver situated on what is known affectionately as the ‘Sunshine Coast’. Her artwork has been influenced deeply by the Yukon frontier of her childhood and by the coastal landscape of B.C., where she has put down roots.
In her youth she absorbed the dual influence of her mother, a painter and calligraphist, and her father, a miner and blaster. Almost inevitably, the line where the industrial intersects with the natural world has informed her perspective. Her geographical location offered plenty of stimulation. “I saw lots of the Inuit art and Native art,” Hildebrand recalls, “and I always loved those shapes and stories.”
While the impact of place is significant for the thirty-four year old artist, there is no question that her compositions transcend any regional framework. This is especially true of her latest efforts, notably the stunning series titled Rivers and Logs. The subject matter may point to political issues on the west coast – cut trees floating down rivers – but there is an hypnotic quality to the images, an outcome of Hildebrand returning to her childhood dream world for ideas and symbols. “That’s always sort of a default place, the childhood dreamscape,” she says. Doors, windows, and pathways abound; we are invited to search through exploded landscapes.