The Ocean Pines Library welcomed contemporary artist Megan Burak for her third solo exhibition of oil paintings since 2016, largely photo-realistic portraitures such as “Laundry Day,” a 24-inch-by-30-inch oil on canvas retailing for $1,250, one of 11 works on display through January 2020.

By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Nov. 21, 2019) The Ocean Pines Library welcomed Berlin-based contemporary artist Megan Burak earlier this month for her third solo exhibition there. Her show will feature oil paintings, which will be displayed through January 2020.

“Most of them are portraits, which is what I specialize in,” she said.

Since graduating cum laude in 2015 from Salisbury University with a bachelor’s degree in art, Burak has worked at the Art League of Ocean City and held award-winning exhibitions there and elsewhere in Worcester and Wicomico Counties.

“I’ve worked at the Art League for the past year plus but have been involved with them since before graduating,” she said. “I’m lucky to be working at an art gallery for the exposure to other working artists, because I’m still learning about mediums and techniques.”

While receptive to exploring an array of creative outlets, Burak has primarily focused on portraiture based on a self-professed fascination with the technical aspects of distilling the human essence.

“Just being able to get the right skin tone or color in the eyes of that individual person,” she said. “I also try to tell a story in that as well, like what is their expression trying to say.”

Although the 11 pieces currently on display at the Ocean Pines Library are largely photo-realistic portraits, Burak recently began transitioning into still life.

“I’ll go out to thrift stores and hand-pick pieces that I think will either tell a cool story together or look aesthetically pleasing,” she said.

Burak looks to group random objects with an eye towards items that offer technical challenges to reproduce.

“I like to bring everything home and rearrange it to either tell a weird story or something strange,” she said.

Despite being creatively driven as an adult, Burak confessed to not having that same approach as a youth.

“I took maybe one art class in high school, and I liked it, but I was never like this is definitely what I’m going to do,” she said.

After entering Salisbury University without declaring a major, academic feedback quickly illuminated the path forward.

“I took a drawing or painting class and got good feedback from the professor who said, ‘Go forward with this,’” she said. “This is the only thing I really, really like, so I went pretty full force into it after that.”

Burak thrived under the tutelage of instructors such as Carl Goldhagen, Jinchul Kim and Brooke Rogers.

“I had really good teachers who helped me develop my skill,” she said.

While Burak remains enamored with oil-based mediums, brighter perspectives have also captured her imagination.

“I actually think I should get into watercolor a little bit because with oil painting you’re working dark to light but with watercolor you’re working light to dark,” she said. “Kind of flipping that switch would be interesting.”