Ridgefield, Connecticut based artist, Meredith Mulhearn, has been using the artistic process to push the boundaries of traditional botanical illustration. Meredith has had a lifelong passion for art, and began feverishly creating from the moment she could grasp a crayon. In fact, her pediatrician foretold Meredith’s future as an artist, based on her fine motor skills as a young child.

Meredith works mostly in oil, but has created a new approach by incorporating cross-stitch threadwork into her canvases. Her stitching harkens back to the origins of folk art, while embracing the current technological climate by creating a pixelated effect. The geometric quality of the stitching is in stark contrast to her fluid brush strokes, but somehow results in a delicate balance that enhances the original painting.

Yet Meredith’s work is not simply about the final product. Her background as an art therapist guides her attention to the art making process. As such, Meredith harnesses the inherently therapeutic benefits of the artistic process, using freeing bold strokes in her painting and precise, methodical stitching to evoke a feeling of control. In this way, Meredith’s artwork is not about creating a product with mass appeal, but rather, immersing herself in a process that soothes the soul.

Meredith’s subject matter focuses on natural, botanical elements. In particular, she is passionate about finding beauty in the mundane. She seeks out the natural grace and beauty of both the elegant and raw natural elements that often go overlooked in everyday life. Meredith draws the viewer in for an intimate experience of the subject matter, taking them on a journey into another world.

Meredith graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University with a major in studio art and a minor in art history. Additionally, she studied botanical illustration at the New York Botanical Gardens. She holds an MA in Art Therapy from New York University. Meredith is a Resident Artist of the Ridgefield Pride Art Center and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists.