Month: June 2022

Meagan Greenberg is the sweet, bubbly charismatic sweetheart behind Over The Moon Art Studios on Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park. First, her business provides a great need for artists in the way of art studio space. For those who do not have the room in their living space for art making, Over the Moon provides affordable art studios. Second, she is an enthusiastic art teacher who offers an interesting selection of art workshops and classes for children and adults. Third, she loves co-creating with others and has created a social Art Club for creatives. Meagan is also a talented artist who uses sound bites in music to guide her art making.

Tell me about your art background? Art School or Self-Taught?

A little bit of both. I got my first degree in Psychology and then I went back to college to become an art teacher. Being an art teacher taught me how to experiment with many
different materials, but it never actually taught me how to professionally paint or make a living as an artist. That is the stuff I am learning now in the field. It’s a big part of the reason I created our studio, Over The Moon. I wanted to give artists the opportunity to learn from each other about practical techniques and the professional side of being an artist.

What brought you to create the art that you make?

I have a lifelong infatuation with color, from both an aesthetic and psychological standpoint. Every art piece I make is about how we use color to convey meaning. I also
relish any opportunity to tinker! I have a blast experimenting with new mediums. When I found alcohol inks, they were different from any material I had worked with before. I was fascinated by the chemistry which produces the color banding and striations. I even learned a little bit about the liquid chromatography process. What I love the most about this material is that the ink has a mind of its own.

What is your process with your art making?

My whole process is very intuitive and improvisational because I have very little control. I use air to move the ink instead of a brush, so I have to extemporize and create solutions to all the little visual problems that pop up as the ink moves in unpredictable ways.

What do you listen to when you create? Music, podcasts?

I love my TED talks, but music plays a large role in my art-making process. I regularly use music (and the synesthetic experience generated by it) as a starting point to create a
subjective constraint. I aim to transform sound bite, song, and its immersive cognitive experience into visual imagery.

Tell me more about how sound and music work in your art.

I have strong visual imagery associations with sound. Some artists label this as “synesthesia” or “pseudo- synesthesia” a neurological phenomenon. But, in my case, Ipersonally think that as human beings with multisensory nervous systems, we inherently make associations from birth and those show up in our artwork. Music is multi-sensory. If you close your eyes when listening to music, you have imagery that goes along with it. Some songs “sound” blue or red. I experience visual sensation with sound and I see shapes, some sounds are “watery” others are like “bursts”. I listen and create what I hear.

What would you like to see happen in the Monmouth County art community?

I want to see everyone learning and growing and nurturing their artistic passions. I want these opportunities to be accessible to everyone regardless of their income, both for
children and adults and especially senior citizens! I would love to work with local organizations to establish and fund free and affordable art classes and workshops for anyone who wants to take them! Over The Moon has helped me establish relationships with tons of artists who are eager to teach and share their passions, technical skills, and wisdom. If a nonprofit is interested in working with us to make this happen, please contact me.

You can contact Meagan & see her work at: OverTheMoonArtStudios.com
Instagram: @meagg.e.moon_art & @over_the_moon_art_studios or stop by the studio at 800
Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park (located in the back part of the Second Life Bikes building)