Meghan Weeks: Taking and Giving Through Art

One hundred dollars has endless possibilities for a 10-year-old girl. For representational oil painter Meghan Weeks, her newly acquired wealth was put toward an investment that would grow beyond even her own lifetime. With $100 she earned from a commissioned mural in her basement requested by her father, Weeks thought over said endless possibilities, and settled on a trip to Mahoney’s Garden Center for Earth Day.

“I had more money than I knew what to do with, but what I wanted to do most was buy a tree, any tree,” said Weeks. “So that was my first art sale and my first art purchase, which totally taps into what I have always believed in.”

Weeks’ first commission catalyzed her career as not only an artist but an environmentalist. Weeks was given the opportunity of every child's dream with a bonus: painting the walls and being paid for it.

Fast forward twenty-five years, and the young artist, now 35, is at the cusp of a prospective full-time career as an artist. Her work currently sells for a couple thousand dollars, but this is subject to change as her work continues to sell across multiple artists associations, her own website, and galleries scattered across New England. Two of her pieces are currently involved in a contemporary art show in Marblehead, MA, called “Variations,” and she also has pieces involved in the Art in Embassies Program, a U.S. Department of State program.

Since 2019, she has shared a small yet spacious art studio with fellow artist Margaret Sheldon in the SoWa Art & Design District of Boston. It has a quaint and inviting presence similar to the artist herself. Warm light generously pours in through three massive windows

illuminating her newest artistic endeavor on stretched linen–which Weeks insisted she prefers to cotton.

“Our success in sharing our space is due, in large part, to Meghan’s kind and thoughtful disposition,” said Sheldon. “Her dedication to painting is infectious and inspiring.”

After graciously arguing her reasons for giving me the more comfortable chair–another testament to her kind and welcoming nature–she tucked her loose brown hair behind her ears, perched on her small stool, and wasted no time in discussing her passion for what she does. Weeks is humble in regard to her talent, although her art is anything but.

“I have imposter syndrome in so many ways for other things that I try to do and I would not say I'm an overly confident person, but for some reason that did not occur to me when I was a kid,” she said. “I think that's why I was lucky enough to grow up in a city where there were museums and working artists.”

Places well-known to Boston natives and other places seemingly untouched by humankind line the walls of her studio. Each piece is an intentional composition demanding the attention of its viewers, reflecting genuine love for the landscapes that inspired them. Placing each hue of color across her palette, she explained the importance of both warm-and cool-toned blues and reds, excited to take on the role of a mentor.

However, creating art is not her only professional occupation. Weeks also works as curator of interpretation at the Boston Public Library, working with the art and architecture of the historic building and its special collections. Weeks currently has the opportunity to give an introductory lecture on artist John Singer Sargent there next month for a virtual series of five lectures and a panel discussion.

“Her deep affection for John Singer Sargent led to her studying his life and work in depth,” said Sheldon. “It’s like having an art history professor who just happens to be a good friend!”

Weeks also studied architecture at Yale and then went on to pursue a postgraduate degree in curating at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, England. According to Weeks, her continued interest in architecture allows her to paint human-made structures as well as what she believes to have always been her greatest inspiration: the natural world.

Despite impressive conquests as a curator, and an impressive background in other interests, Weeks’ true aspiration is to someday be a full-time artist. This dream has transformed into a legitimate career path for Weeks.

It is easy to assume that the recent pandemic hurt the art market and Weeks’ career goals, but according to the artist, she's seen more first-time-buyers than ever. Since people have been unable to travel or go out, they want beautiful surroundings by adding art to their homes, said the artist.

“It's a weird almost guilty blessing that sales have been as good as they have been,” said Weeks. “I almost feel guilty saying that given how other economies have been decimated by it.

The pandemic not only impacted her career as an artist, but also her personal life. Weeks currently lives with her fiancé Callum Dickson in the South End of Boston, whom she met during her time as a student in London. She affectionately refers to him as her husband rather than fiance, as the pandemic delayed their wedding for two years.

Dickson, a chemist from the UK, is a great supporter of Weeks’ career path. He sat for portraits when there were no other available models during the pandemic for her occasional venture beyond painting landscapes. He also accompanied her on many outdoor explorations to

New Hampshire during this time to discover natural landscapes. As a painter who paints from real life, or “en plein air',” these adventures only strengthened Weeks’ appreciation for nature.

Weeks said her parents raised her to believe anything was possible. She attributed her lack of fear to her upbringing and familial support from a young age to pursue whatever inspired her, while also acknowledging the lifestyle into which she was born.

“I never saw those barriers, and that's because I grew up in a very privileged situation where I had a family that could afford to take me to museums,” said the Boston native. “I think I was almost too young to understand the reticence to put yourself out there and your work out there, and that in terms of my art life has been the most fortunate thing.”

When she was 11, Weeks demonstrated her unabashed confidence when she sold painted seashells to Kathleen Knight, owner of The Gallery At Four India in Nantucket, to sell for $10 at half commission. All of them sold.

“I remember when I was a kid walking into a gallery in Nantucket thinking oh... I paint the same things,” said Weeks. “I was like wow I can do this for a job? I can do this thing that I love more than anything in the world?”

Weeks spent her summers vacationing on Nantucket with her family. This led to her joining the Artists Association of Nantucket in 2001 at the young age of 14. It’s also where her charitable endeavors first commenced, and her green thumb was put to practice once again.

“Meg is an incredible artist, board member, and active with our organization,” said Executive Director of the AAN Courtney Bridges.

Through the AAN, all artists involved donate one painting to its yearly gala to support the arts. Weeks also became involved in donating proceeds to both Housing Nantucket and Sustainable Nantucket organizations.

“Meg has been an active member of our organization since she was a child, and I’ve been lucky to know her through her complete tenure at AAN,” said Artistic Director of the AAN Bobby Frazier. “I value not only her dedication to our organization, but also the friendship I’ve gained.”

Weeks’ work has taken her not only around New England, but also across the globe from Europe to Africa. In 2016, she traveled to Namibia, Africa, one of the many interesting places her charitable work brought her to. There, she worked for the organization the Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA)–an experience she said would be well-worth the trip again.

“These trips are amazing, it's a great way to see this unbelievable landscape, but also to not just be taking something from it, you're there giving back,” said Weeks. “We definitely want to go again, and we really want to go to Botswana next year.

Her painting of the elephants the organization protects can be viewed on her website under the tab “Art For Good.” Fifty percent of proceeds from the sale went toward the EHRA.

To name a few more ways Weeks chooses to give back to her inspiration: she also makes a monthly donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) from her art profits, and urges viewers of her website to contact her if they have ideas for other charities.

“This genuinely is my favorite thing to do,” said Weeks. “I am so happy.”

This sentiment is evident in the charities Weeks donates to, but also the twinkle of inspiration in her blue eyes when talking about the “electric-green grass” of early springtime, and the work she creates, reflective of ease, and absent of any signs of struggle.

Although most of Weeks’ career success derives from her affinity for the process of painting and inspiration from her natural surroundings, she acknowledged the difficulty she faced putting into practice the business aspects of being an artist.

“Until you are big enough to hire your own studio assistant you are your own accountant, marketer, biographer, and bookkeeper,” she said. “What I find hardest to be is your own champion or your own agent.”

These hardships often go unconsidered for an artist, but Weeks learned to adapt. Through continuously pouring her energy toward the organizations she represents, she became a champion for them instead of herself to aid her reluctance to self-promote.

“You can champion these organizations and you're not just painting for you,” said Weeks. “Having those little motivators is important...there is this thing about external accountability.”

Free time is relatively unknown to the artist, but both her energy and artistry remain intact amongst other things. Her hands were unmarked and protected by blue gloves, and her striped shirt unaffected by the consistent possibility of pigmented stains, all of which are a reflection of the precise and attentive work she creates.

Despite grievances about not having enough time in the day, Weeks utilizes it wisely. She is not to be underestimated in terms of hard work, spending long hours writing for her job as a curator, and tirelessly crafting paintings for a cause–what she hopes to be her full-time future.

“I see a world where that can happen, and it's so exciting and scary, but you do have to go into it knowing that it is a full palette of all of those other jobs too,” said the artist. “I'm going to have to get better.”