Today we’d like to introduce you to Meryl Engler.
Hi Meryl, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I have been an artist all my life and always knew I wanted to pursue some sort of career in the arts. I went to college at Syracuse University and ended up majoring in Sculpture, but I was exposed to many different techniques and materials. Taking my first woodcut class was a huge turning point in my artistic journey. It was the first time what I pictured in my head actually worked out, and the work felt unique to me. I fell in love with the physicality of making a woodcut. After graduating in the spring of 2013, I immediately went to grad school at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln to study printmaking under the wonderful Karen Kunc. She taught me that woodcuts could be colorful, complex, and nuanced. Printmaking is all about following a set process, but she taught me that every process could be individualized to suit the artist’s needs. After getting my MFA in studio art- printmaking in 2016, I felt a little overwhelmed. I had never, not been in school before, and I had been in higher education for 8 straight years. That summer, I moved across the country to follow one of my other passions, rowing. I had started rowing at Syracuse University and started coaching while in grad school in Nebraska. After graduating, I moved to Portland, Oregon to coach youth and adult rowing. I still worked on art but did not have the time, resources, or connections to really get established while living there. It was really hard without the built-in support system that comes with being in school. After three years of coaching in Portland, I knew I wanted to make a change. I applied for and received the artist-in-residence position at Rubber City Prints, a small printmaking studio on Market Street in Akron.
So, I moved to Akron in the fall of 2019 looking for a fresh start and a chance to refocus on making art. The plan was to take the year to rebuild my portfolio and start making some connections, then move on to the next opportunity. I loved being back in a printmaking studio. Having access to equipment such as printmaking presses is a huge luxury to have outside of school. When the pandemic hit, I was in a very fortunate situation because everything I needed to make my work was in the place I lived. Because the pandemic shut everything down, I asked to stay another year. I started to fall in love with Akron. I recognized that there was a vibrant arts scene in Northeast Ohio and a dedicated number of people who were actively making arts and culture programming a priority in Akron. I started working at Akron Soul Train, an art residency program and gallery in downtown Akron, in the fall of 2020, and there, I get to meet artists from all over Northeast Ohio. It’s so inspiring to be part of this growing art scene, and I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given here, from participating in numerous art shows to learning how to make paper at the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland to working on a 70-foot long mural for Rooms to Let, an arts festival in Slavic Village in Cleveland. I have been constantly learning and consistently inspired since coming to Akron, and feel I still growing and pushing myself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While I was very lucky that I basically lived in a printmaking studio at the start of it, the pandemic was full of challenges. I had only been in Akron a few months when everything shut down. It was not enough time for me to explore, get to know the area and the people, and get in touch with the art scene. Also, I had only planned to be in Akron for a year, but because of the pandemic, most artist residencies and arts-related programming were shut down. I was very fortunate to get a position at Akron Soul Train as a gallery assistant. This not only gave me some financial stability but introduced me to other artists in the community that I would not have gotten a chance to meet at the time. It showed me what all was going on in the art scene and, as things started to open up a little, where to show and where to apply. Now I am the Exhibitions and Programming Coordinator at Akron Soul Train and have had positions at the Morgan Conservatory and taught a continuing education class at Cleveland Institute of Art. I have grown so much professionally during the pandemic. I have lived in Akron for almost 4 years and feel that I am starting to actually put roots down here. It’s different from before when I was moving from school to school or job to job, sort of chasing any opportunity that came up. Putting roots down is scary because I know that I don’t have that same level of freedom anymore. But this is the most connected I have felt, and opportunities are starting to come to me. I feel more present in the moment and more secure in my creativity.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I work primarily in woodcut, a relief printmaking technique in which an image is carved into a piece of plywood, covered in ink, and transferred onto paper. I also work in other printmaking media, such as monotype and etching, and I hope to add more screenprint and lithography to my practice. In 2022, I started working at the Morgan Conservatory and learned Eastern and Western papermaking techniques. I love getting to print on the paper I specifically made. I think it adds so much to the piece because I can control what the paper looks and feels like before I even start printing. I have also started using drawing and collage techniques to enhance my work. Even though I say I am mostly a woodcut artist, I think the main through line of all my work is paper. Working on paper allows me so much versatility in media. Plus, different types of paper yield very different results. My woodcuts are usually very colorful and complex. I very rarely work in black and white. Like I said before, in woodcut, an image is carved into a piece of plywood (woodblock) which is then inked. I put my paper over the inked woodblock and apply pressure by hand or by running it through a press, which transfers the ink onto the piece of paper, giving my print. Working in this way, each color in my final image is a new layer of carving, inking, and pressing. Woodcuts that have multiple colors require lots of planning. I like to layer multiple different woodblocks on the same paper to create abstract effects and interesting backgrounds. I almost want my woodcuts to look like watercolor paintings, with lots of layers of transparent colors interacting to create a nuanced and complex scene.
What matters most to you? Why?
I think getting the chance to make the work that I want to make and am currently making matters most to me at this stage in my career. I know what it’s like to not have access to resources, equipment, and time and I want to take advantage of what I have now. This year, at this time, I truly believe I am pushing myself and the boundaries of Woodcut with my work. I am so excited to be in the middle of making a new series that I am so proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.merylengler.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: instagram.com/meryle_art
