Women and Water

Artist:  Meg Erke

Show Run:  Mon, March 24 - Thur, April 24

Artist Talk:  Thur, April 24, 1pm

Gallery Hours:  M-F 10 am-6 pm and Saturday, April 12, 8 am-3 pm

Artist Statement

My work explores the themes of women and water. As an open-water swimmer for over a decade, I have found strength, joy, collective effervescence, and resilience in submerging myself in natural bodies of water year-round—even when the lakes are frozen. Water is a source of wonder and creative inspiration, a medium that connects me to the natural world. I balance this with an awareness of water’s power to shape, transform, and sometimes destroy.

I use gouache and watercolor to paint independent layers on paper and wood—depicting water, sky, trees, fish, weeds, rocks, clouds, and figures. These elements come to life through simple stop-motion animation, allowing me to experiment with movement, transformation, and composition. Once animated, I affix some of the same painted pieces into static, layered paintings, capturing the movement in a fixed form.

My practice is interactive and experimental. I intentionally include my hands in my animations, revealing my presence and emphasizing the act of creation. I look for ways to invite viewers to engage directly with my work—manipulating painted elements and altering compositions. I am interested in creating opportunities for the viewer to shape the narrative.

Through this evolving process, I aim to explore the dynamic relationships between control and surrender, movement and stillness, permanence and change—mirroring the shifting nature of water.