Megan Ruch

I knew from an early age that I would always be an artist. I grew up in Albany and graduated from Cazenovia College with a degree in Advertising Design and Fine Arts. My interest started well before college, however.

Many of my weekends as a child were spent at my grandmother’s house where we would play card games and watch old Laurel and Hardy movies together. One day when I arrived, Nana surprised me with paper and a watercolor paint set for me. From that moment on, I have loved painting.

Many of my summers were spent in Lake George. Water is a recurring theme that I love to depict, be it little rowboats on the lake, or sailboats in the Caribbean, another place I recreate from fond memories. I work from photographs that I’ve taken while traveling, of tranquil scenes that inspire me, and then I mix these images with a healthy dose of “artistic license.” Although water and landscapes are among my favorite subjects to paint, I also love painting animals. I tend to paint animals that are a little more exotic, or unexpected. I try to interpret the fun and happiness that a child might feel seeing these images by using vivid color, shapes, and pattern. This is similar to the expressive approach. I take to my still life depictions of fruit. My intention is always to apply a certain mood to the subject that I can share through my art.

My very first paintings were proudly displayed on my grandmothers’ walls. I like to think that I keep painting to recreate that first feeling of pride – and to share with others the happiness that a whimsical painting full of color can bring.