Painting by Megan Weston for her 'Altitude' exhibition at Fenton and Fenton opening in Melbourne this week.  Photos - Nikole Ramsay.

'Untitled Pink' painting by Megan Weston for her 'Altitude' exhibition at Fenton and Fenton opening in Melbourne this week.  Photos - Nikole Ramsay.

Colourful details from Megan's Barwon Heads studio.  Photos - Nikole Ramsay.

'Isle Royale' Painting by Megan Weston for her 'Altitude' exhibition at Fenton and Fenton opening in Melbourne this week.  Photo - Nikole Ramsay.

The paint splattered floor in Megan's Barwon Heads studio forms the basis of a series of digitally printed cushions and throws, created to accompany her 'Altitude' show at Fenton and Fenton in Melbourne.  Photos - Nikole Ramsay.

We've been quietly stalking the instagram account of local artist Megan Weston. Based in Barwon Heads on the Victorian Surf Coast, Megan is self taught - 'I’ve always been a creative person, but I was never attracted to getting a formal art education' she says. 'I studied at the Megan Weston School of Fine Art'!  That's not to say Megan isn't a keen student. Currently taking private classes with a landscape artist, Megan's prolific practice sees her constantly refining her techniques through research and experimentation.

With an intuitive approach to colour and composition, Megan creates richly layered works on canvas, inspired in part by aerial photography.  'I’m interested in taking patterns in nature and finding a new way of looking at them' she explains.  'My work is like organised chaos, a bit like me. Perhaps a bit like us all!' says Megan.  'I believe that there’s an unknowable element in us all... I try and tune in to that energy. It’s that spirit that I hope to bring out on the canvas.'

Often working on multiple canvases and one time, Megan's process is a careful balance of pre-planning and spontaneity. 'I have a rough idea in my head of where I’m going and what I’m doing, but I also have to allow for things to emerge in the process' she explains. 'If you’re too controlled, you scare away the magic'.

Megan's vivid, pigment-drenched canvases have developed a loyal following in recent years, bolstered in part by their inclusion on Channel Nine's 'The Block'!   She has also found a supportive stockist in popular Melbourne retail store Fenton and Fenton, who will be hosting a new exhibition of Megan's work, opening this week.  The show, entitled 'Altitude' and also coincides with the launch of a range of cushions, throws and vessels which complement Megan's paintings, and are based on digital photographs of her paint splattered studio floor.

Altitude by Megan Weston
Open from 29 May to 11 June
Fenton & Fenton
471 High St
Prahran, VIC

Opening night 29 May from 6.00 to 8.00pm.

Colourful details from Megan's Barwon Heads studio.  Photos - Nikole Ramsay.

Megan's work in situ at Fenton and Fenton.  Cushion on chair (left) forms part of Megan's new 'Altitude' range, and is digitally printed with photographs of Megan's colourful studio floor.  Photo - Armelle Habib, Styling - Julia Green.