Megan Lewis (b. 1989, Baltimore, MD) lives and practices in the city of her birth. Lewis graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida (2011).

Lewis is a figurative painter and muralist. As a painter, she wields a palette knife with the precision of a surgeon. Her fantastical subjects are rendered in bold colors and geometric patterns and enlivened with beautiful textiles, some sourced locally and others embellished with Ankara fabric acquired during Lewis’ trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is a physicality to Lewis’ subjects, who appear poised to leap from the canvas. Their outward gaze and gestures beckon the viewer to contemplate their thoughts and emotions. But there is a greater question, who are these individuals? That will always remain a mystery because Lewis draws inspiration from chance encounters, a passer-by, and her imagination.

“My work is a reflection of my personality. It allows me to communicate meaningfully. I create the world I want to exist in through my paintings, where I can play, work out and express my emotions. To think outside of the intellectual and artistic ‘holding’ patterns and envision futures that are intergalactic in scope. I feel an obligation to untangle my imagination from Americanized history books and standards. By removing myself from these constraints liberates me. Therefore, my work is free. My thoughts and creativity cannot be marginalized by what society expects of me.

I am a Black Woman, disconnecting herself from the inherited constraints of society. I am unapologetic about letting my work be in tune with my feelings and no one else’s. And that, I believe, is revolutionary.”