Megaera is an Australian artist whose work in watercolour, charcoal
and pastel pays tribute to women's inner strength and beauty. Her work is
closely connected with her own emotional and spiritual development.

Megaera was born May 17 1955 and grew up in suburban Melbourne,
the second in a family of three daughters. Her self-taught drawing,
and later pottery, were sources of comfort and strength
during childhood.

In secondary school Megaera excelled at modern languages and
at age 17 won a scholarship to live for 3 months in Hanover, Germany.
She returned to Germany in 1975, then travelled extensively through Europe,
the U.K., and the west coast of U.S. and Canada.
In 1980 she travelled around Italy and studied Italian in Siena.

Megaera began her artistic career as a self-taught potter, first exhibiting her
large hand-built, glazed pots in 1979. At this time she also began a long
involvement with the Women's Movement.
When she taught herself watercolour painting, her artwork became the
vehicle for expressing her feminist values and vision.

In 1982 Megaera moved to Daylesford, a pretty country town
110km northwest of Melbourne. She bought a small house and turned
its bleak surroundings into a large, beautiful garden.

In 1989 Megaera held a major solo exhibition at Melbourne's
'Women's Gallery'. It included watercolour paintings and china-painted,
handbuilt pots with themes of irises, wisteria women and merwomen.
The enormous success of this exhibition prompted the previously
self-taught Megaera to undertake a 3-yearBachelor of Visual Arts,
majoring in drawing.

Many exhibitions in Melbourne and Adelaide galleries have followed,
with themes including Crones, Mothers and Daughters, Amazons,
Big Women, the Virgin Mary; and images dedicated to
survivors of child abuse.

From 1999 to 2003 Megaera spoke publicly about child abuse.
In her beautiful and moving slide presentation 'An Artist's Story of Healing',
she described her own journey, begun in 1992, of healing from childhood abuse,
and showed slides of images she had created as part of that healing - images of
protection, nurturance and empowerment.
The slide presentation reached a wide range of audiences.
It brought inspiration,encouragement and validation to those who had been abused
and raised awareness among others.

Megaera has conducted art workshops and healing workshops for small groups
and, since 1994, has given art tuition to individuals
of diverse ages and backgrounds.
She is currently enjoying a rest from public speaking and teaching.

Megaera was included in the Victorian Women's Trust Exhibition
'Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives'
- an exhibition which honoured the lives of Victorian women,
past and present and which toured Victoria throughout 2001.

The reproduction of Megaera's images in numerous magazines and
women's diaries has brought her an international following.
Her originals, including portrait commissions, are found in
over 100 private collections worldwide.

 

When not working, Megaera's favourite activity is walking in the forest with
her little companion Maeve. Other pleasures include connecting with beloved friends,
singing, reading, meditating, visiting the ocean and watching films.

List of Publications

Megaera's artwork has appeared in the following publications:

'Out Loud' no.7 Melbourne 1994 back cover and pp.8,9,44,45

'Freesize' no.2 London 1997 pp.24-28

'Celebrating Women's Spirituality Calendar' Crossing Press USA 1995 'Celebrating Women's Spirituality Calendar' Crossing PressUSA 1996

'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 1994
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 1996
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 1998
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 2000
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 2002
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 2004
'We'moon Diary' Mother Tongue Ink Estacada USA 2006

 

'Zeitspirale' Women's Diary Luebeck Germany 1998
'Zeitspirale' Women's Diary Luebeck Germany 1999

M.Findlay, 'Republic of Women' UQPress 1999(cover illustration)