Megan Ladd is an artist and designer from Portland, OR.
“I’ve been working for and with artists for most of my adult life; painters, designers, fabricators, fashion and accessory designers. I grew up in a home of small businesses. I learned by being in studios and shops, watching other people work and doing it myself. I never went to art school but I’ve taken printmaking and figure drawing courses and I’ve always kept a sketchbook. The mix of hands-on work and self-teaching taught me how to stay curious and how to build a creative practice.
In my own studio I make a mix of one-offs and small editions: paintings, printed work, textiles as clothing and home wares and upholstery, embroidery, type design and illustration. I love working within a historical context, borrowing from traditional craft and studying how things were made to last.
Most of my work happens slowly, by hand. I like handling every step myself, as there is something beatiful to seeing something from start to finish. I like knowing exactly how something is made. I like feeling proud of something.”
Photo by Hannah Shae