Ontology: Communal Expressions of Being

Megan Lewis Statement

Statement

Megan Lewis (b. 1989, Baltimore, MD) is an accomplished painter known for using various mediums to create paintings that delve into critical perspectives on social, historical, and cultural issues related to Black life. Her studio practice explores the emotional landscapes of predominantly male figures as they navigate transformation, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Using collage, fabric, photography, and richly textured materials like glitter and pattern, her compositions reflect both imaginative and realistic moments of introspection and growth.

Often drawing from personal experiences, Lewis sees her subjects as voyeurs who mirror her own emotional journey. Her work becomes a space for release and reflection, where stillness, motion, resilience, and change coexist.

Her latest series, Surrender Movement, deepens this exploration by examining the tension between control and release. Through layered textures and bold palette knife work, she investigates what it truly means to let go, inviting viewers to confront their own relationship with surrender, trust, and transformation.

Twirl, 2020
36 x 36″
Oil and acrylic on canvas

Megan Lewis

Megan Lewis, through her vibrant narrative paintings, captures the essence of the leisure Black male experience and culture. Her use of bold colors, expressive brushstrokes, and captivating compositions breathes life into her subjects, evoking emotions and inviting viewers to engage with the stories within her canvases. With a focus on portraiture, Lewis explores themes of resilience, heritage, and the complexities of the African American experience.

Everything begins with a thought, 2023
Oil and acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 ″

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Megan Lewis Bio

Biography

Megan Lewis (b. 1989, Baltimore, MD) lives and practices in the city of her birth. Lewis graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida (2011).

Lewis is an figurative painter and muralist. As a painter, she wields a palette knife with the precision of a surgeon. Her fantastical subjects are rendered in bold colors and geometric patterns and enlivened with beautiful textiles, some sourced locally and others embellished with Ankara fabric acquired during Lewis’ trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is a physicality to Lewis’ subjects, who appear poised to leap from the canvas. Their outward gaze and gestures beckon the viewer to contemplate their thoughts and emotions. But there is a greater question, who are these individuals? That will always remain a mystery because Lewis draws inspiration from chance encounters, a passer-by, and her imagination.

Embedded within Lewis’ beautifully layered canvases are conversations on the social and historical portrayals of the Black body and particularly those inhabited by Black women. Her bright hues are laid down intentionally and purposely, as serious discourse lies within. One that examines “critical views on Black beauty, fashion, body image, and their linked histories.”

As a muralist, Lewis’ has made a profound imprint on the city of Baltimore. She is the first Black woman commissioned to design artwork for Baltimore’s Penn Metro Station. Her murals appear on the walls of Orioles Park “City Corner”, Target’s “Mini Pitch”, Reginald F. Lewis Museum “inside mural “Reflections of Baltimore: Arabbers” and beyond. Recent concept commissions include Doritos-Solid Black, Dicks Sporting Goods, HBO Max, and the US Open BLM exhibit that transformed the front-row seats of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2020 opening. Lewis’ multi-talents also extend to her furniture making.