Landry McMeans
Austin, TX
(b. 1985) Austin, TX
DYNAMIC EARTH
Landry McMeans is a full-time artist based in Austin, TX with a passion for color and the American West. Purple mountains, neon sunsets, and saguaro cacti have been staple subjects in her work since she first picked up cardboard relief as her main medium in 2005, however, her primary medium has now shifted to printmaking. She now designs large scale and elaborate hand-cut stencil prints. In addition to visual art, Landry is a songwriter and steel guitar player. McMeans originally found inspiration for her work from a decade of summers touring throughout the southwest with musical outfits, The Lonesome Heroes, and Brooklyn, NY based band, Gangstagrass (Emmy nominees for the theme song to the FX TV series Justified). Long desert drives from gig to gig on hot summer days is where she was first introduced to the "muted psychedelia" of the desert.
Her works are considered "multiple originals." Each print inevitably comes out unique with its own character, and given the process, new colorways are an exciting way to extend and transform the life of each design, as well as entertain her passion for color. The stencils have a limited lifetime. About thirty prints can be achieved with simpler designs, and often only about five prints with more elaborate pieces. The temporary nature of the stencil prints is a unique facet of her practice, and pushes her to constantly evolve and create fresh designs.
"I create vibrant, colorful, serene stencil prints of desertscapes and the flora and fauna that inhabit them. My work is immersive, calm, yet upbeat. I bring my audience into a dreamscape with large scale pieces and an up close, in person perspective. I simplify my images into intentional spot color and hard, clean lines that feel earthy and organic, yet maintain a "pop" aesthetic. I celebrate beauty for the sake of beauty. My subjects are the places I've been to, and the places I long to visit. They are records of the geographic landmarks and their occupants that demand to be remembered and protected. I give back what nature gives me, a sense of awe, wonder, and connection, something that can lift your spirit with just a glance."
