Few would expect the understated and even-keeled Megan Magee ‘22 to be the self-proclaimed “wild child” of the Baldwin art scene. Much like her persona, Magee’s creative process ebbs between precision and frenzy. 

“Sometimes [my artistic process] is just impulses, but occasionally I will have all this work stockpiled into a sketchbook. There are recurring themes and whatever I create will expand upon them,” Magee said. 

Magee is able to practice her technical and compositional skills through Ms. Wilke’s Drawing and Painting class, one of the many ways in which she is involved in the arts at Baldwin. 

“I have [Drawing and Painting] first period, and it’s wonderful to have it first thing in the morning and get my brain juices flowing,” Magee said. 

While Magee prefers to work in oil paint, she finds that sharpening her drawing skills and keeping a sketchbook are vital to her creative process. This habit paid off in the creation of one of her most impressive works: a portrait of a woman peering out a window.

“I did challenge myself when making it because I do studies of certain features, but it’s difficult to put all the pieces into something that is whole,” Magee said. 

She continued, “This started during Christmas break last year. I went to Michael’s and I bought myself this huge canvas, and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. It was 10 pm when I came up with it, I sketched it out, and I just started to paint away. I was sort of in this manic phase for a few days.”

Through both calculated, technical study and spontaneous, creative impulse, Magee is able to create her best work. Painting runs in her family, and Magee draws inspiration from generations of family artists.

“My grandma is a painter. Every time I would visit her, she would always bring me to the basement to show me whatever project she was working on. One time we even decided to do a project together,” Magee said.  

Beyond the visual arts, Magee’s 10 years of piano playing lend well to familial artistic collaboration. 

“Sometimes I’ll play piano and my dad will play trumpet, and we’ll have a duet. We used to have a jam ‘sesh’ almost every week,” said Magee. 

In all realms of her artistic practice, Magee finds ways to embrace her familial and cultural identity.  

Magee said, “There was one time when I went to this traditional Chinese dance, and I was quite intrigued by the flowing of the fabric and also the movements of the people, so I shifted into figure movement from that.” 

As a Senior representative of Arts League and the founding member of the Fine Arts Club, Magee is able to support her fellow student artists and bring the arts to all sectors of the Baldwin community. Her involvement in the arts, both within and outside Baldwin, is as generous and collaborative as her character.