VALLARTA PAINTER, BILL MEGRAIL PART-II

During Bill Megrail’s illustrious 30-plus year artistic career in Mexico, he has had showings at many galleries nationally, in the United States and London.

His paintings have been printed in such publications as Mexicana Airline “In-Flight” Magazine (2 covers) and the Insider Guide to Mexico. In the 90’s he was invited to Southeast Asia on an art buying trip as an advisor. In 2004, the town of Damburg, Holland invited Bill to participate in the International Painters’ Week.

Upon arriving in Puerto Vallarta, he started painting “pretty landscapes,” which was drastically different from his formal art education and background. Much of his work is intricately detailed on large and huge canvases, which, by the way, made frequent moves in his younger years a challenge. Lush jungle settings with tropical plants, flowers and fruits, country landscapes occasionally dotted with livestock, and a few cityscapes all draw one into the paintings.

Pointing out a painting of the downtown Vallarta sports arena, Bill Megrail explains how different painting in Vallarta is from the country. He was forced to leave his studio to visit the arena time after time, making sketches and studying views from different perspectives. In the country he can stop, set up his easel and observe while painting.

Changes in art often seem to be opposite of predecessors, teachers, and accepted standards. It certainly seems so with Bill, anyway. When asked what’s next, he replied to be “more and more personal.” In addition to using smaller canvases he plans to “eliminate all theory and paint what I see,” putting aside education, training and convention to rely more on intuition.

During a discussion about the artist’s life, Bill laughs and replies, “Poverty” is the worst thing. The best is “doing something you love.”

A few of Bill’s pieces are displayed at Gallery Des Artists. His collection can be seen at hishome gallery by appointment: email gwmegrail@hotmail.com or call (322)222 -5711.

To be continued in Third Part

You can read the First Partif you missed.

Read more about art and culture in Puerto Vallarta.