By Gabriella Bancheri
From visual art to music to writing, there is some undeniable young talent in the South Jersey art world, and 22-year-old Megan Smith is no exception.
The young painter and digital designer certainly has a passion for what she does and she’s on a mission to breathe some creative life into our local cities and businesses.
Not too long ago, Megan was driving past Storybook Land, the children’s theme park located on the Black Horse Pike, when she saw a vast, empty wall ripe for art.
She pulled into the lot, parked her car, and located owner John Fricano to inquire about potentially painting a mural.
While she received a rejection for that particular idea, her inquiry and drive opened a different door for her: refurbishing the entire Storybook Land cast of characters. Megan says that her goal with this initiative is to “give personality and life” to the characters that live in the “weathered down sculptures of Storybook Land.”
She shared that she has been thoroughly enjoying her work at the amusement park, stating that it has given her the opportunity to “reconnect with the playfulness” of her inner child through her developed artistic skill.
Megan has been working on the Storybook Land initiative every day for the past couple of weeks, and projects it will take her just a few more weeks of full-time work to finish the project completely.
Having no formal artistic training, Megan’s work comes from raw talent, passion and dedication to her craft. A child of two artists, Megan says that her parents have been a huge inspiration for her desire to paint and draw. In fact, both her mother and father were graphic designers at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
While it’s clear that her personal art is driven by an interest in abstract visionary images loaded with color, she has also painted brand-specific wall murals for businesses like Spoon & Sip in Ocean City, landscapes, and now, life-sized characters. Already, she has proved her wide-ranging talent.
When I asked what Megan hopes to have in store for her future, she shared that she’s particularly interested in working with commissions from local business to showcase her graphic design skills, as well as collaborating with other creatives and musicians to help devise a vision for their art.
Some upcoming events where Megan will be showcasing her art include the Smithville Art Walk (April 27), Beardfest at Paradise Lakes (June 13), and Beach Bike Festival (March 23).
Ultimately though, Megan says, “Where the art goes is where I’ll go,” and judging based off her sheer passion and drive to create, it doesn’t seem like she’ll have a difficult time finding it anywhere.
To check out Megan’s work, visit her website https://www.megansmithartstore.com/ and her Instagram page @megan.smith.art.
