As our collective sense of time slowed down during the pandemic, time itself shifted: sometimes dragging, sometimes fleeting. In her studio, Meghan Gerety engages this somber reality, meditating on mortality and the finite span of life by ruminating on and studying the momento mori and vanitas paintings of the 17th century.

 

For the past decade, Gerety’s work has mainly consisted of large prints made using sheets of plywood and wooden blocks. Finished works include both prints and the blocks themselves, remnants of the printing process. Her current work continues to employ the processes of carving and rolled-on color application, resulting in work that simultaneously embodies the visual qualities of printmaking along with the dimensional qualities of sculpture. As with the painters of the 17th century, Gerety’s work is more than a reminder of death—it is also a reminder of the magic of life.

 

While living in Marfa for the past ten years Gerety has had a solo show at Marfa Contemporary, showed with a number of Texas galleries, been actively engaged in the Marfa community, and has been raising her son.