2024

Oregon Coast Painting Adventures

I recently returned from a trip to one of my favorite places on earth-the Oregon Coast! This particular visit started in a town that I have been visiting for longer than I can remember-Gearhart.

Tillamook Head, hazy in the brilliant light on the beach.

We stayed at a house that was a short walk to the beach.This walk, through tall tawny grasses towards the embankment behind which the ocean awaits, never fails to make my heart ring like a bell with the many memories of the times I’ve walked here and all the people I’ve loved who have been here with me over the years.

After the long drive across the state of Washington, down, the Gorge, through Portland to Gearhart, it is such a relief to be out of the car with the sand between my toes, looking over the wide expanse of the sea, my eyes traveling for miles and the wind in my hair. Upon arriving at the coast, it is essential to go and greet the sea as soon as possible! Don’t you agree?

The dune embankment at the beach, hiding all but the highest houses from view when you are on the beach. I like to watch the clouds drift by, absent any distraction.

The house we stayed in was in walking distance of the beach but had no ocean view unless you count this sliver of beach, seen from the “tower room”. Along with the big sky and sliver of water, I also enjoyed the expanse of silvery roofs and siding-nothing weathers wood like living along the sea!

After spending four days with friends in Gearhart, I took off south with a companion-stopping at every viewpoint between Cannon Beach and Rockaway Bay as instructed my my aunt. We had ice cream and cheese samples at the Tillamook Factory (my first time visiting!) and then continued down to Depoe Bay (home of the world’s smallest harbor!) to stay. The following day we made the jaunt down to Yaquina Head Lighthouse-utterly charming and right near “Cobblestone Beach” which is covered in polished basalt rocks that clack in the waves. We arrived when the tide was out, revealing amazing tide pools and seals lounging on rocks in the distance. Yaquina Head is the furthest south I’ve ever made it on the coast and it was really fun to see so many towns and beautiful beaches that I’d never visited before.

Take a Class with Me!

Loosen Up Your Painting

May 18th 1-5 pm

Feeling like your paintings are stiff or too tight? Want to embrace the flow of watercolor paint and loosen up? This is the class for you! Megan will demonstrate how to make your paintings full of energy and freshness, giving you quick and easy exercises to uncramp your style!

Sign up here!

I'm on PBS's NW Profiles!

Hi Everyone!

I’m just popping in to say that you can catch my NW Profiles feature on PBS this Thursday (the 25th) at 7 pm and again on the following Sunday at 3 pm. If you miss it, you can always go to the NW Profiles section of the PBS website because they’ll post the episode there after it goes live.

Watching the KSPS crew calibrate their very fancy cameras in my studio before filming.

Here’s a little snippet of the “B-Roll” (fancy filming terms-so fun!) from filming with the crew. We filmed in my studio and at two different locations in Spokane. I can hardly believe that it took SIX HOURS of filming to get my full NW Profiles feature completed. The film crew certainly works hard!

Megan Perkins B Roll Film1 PBS NW Profiles

In other news, my group show “Listening for the Echo” is still open until the 27th, so if you haven’t made your way down there you still have a chance They are open Thursday-Saturday, 4-7 pm and it is the Terrain Gallery on Monroe next to Birdie’s Pie Shop!

And in February I’ll have two pieces up at the Trail’s End Gallery in Chewelah, a first for me! I’ll be up there for First Thursday.

See you around friends!