I climbed the narrow stairs of the early 20th century house that Megan Lightell and her family call home to find a magical place. They live downstairs and have devoted all three rooms in the converted attic to Megan’s work. Daylight poured in from three directions and spilled onto the wooden floors, work tables, the occasional chair and canvases, large canvases, which appeared even larger within these knee-walled rooms. Expansive landscapes done in a contemporary tonal style were stacked on end everywhere, as Megan hurried to get everything ready for a new exhibit at Zeitgeist Gallery. The largest room is the painting studio; off the main room are an office space and an old kitchen that is used for brush washing, canvas stretching, and packing and shipping. Megan keeps the walls white and simple, sort of like a blank canvas, so that the space itself works in the background, and not in a noisy, distracting way. The coziness of the studio belies the prodigious amount of art that is created here.

From the artist: “The clutter of art books, sketchbooks, supplies, and photos can be strangely comforting, and it is important to have a space that is entirely mine....where I can think, work, and make messes.”