Meaghan Coles’ unique practice explores how the female face is objectified within popular advertising. Her paintings are an investigation into the painted, fragmented face, questioning the concept of ideal beauty as portrayed in popular imagery. She uses the female face as her muse-capturing poses that are enchanting & dreamlike. The women stand still, seducing the viewer with their emotive, romantic poses. A nostalgic push/pull is created between reality vs fantasy, realism vs abstraction in not only the subject but also her painting application & technique.

Their identity is unknown, however their emotive, eye-catching poses and painterly depiction create an expressive statement in itself. Meaghan symbolically restores and invests them with individual identity by painstakingly reworking them as unique paintings.

Kaleidoscope at fortyfivedownstairs is a collection of old and new works that represents Meaghan’s unique style & combination of mediums. Meaghan primarily uses oil paint & mixed media to push boundaries between realistic & abstract techniques. Expressive mark making is created with spray paint, lush contrasted oil paints make up the fragmented skin tones & the high gloss is created by her use of layered resin.