PAINTING THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND WITH MEGHAN AILEEN

Long before I picked up a camera or started working with brands, I was a little girl in a basement, completely mesmerized by the calming voice of Bob Ross and the magic of nature. I’d sit for hours, watching him transform blank canvases into peaceful landscapes. At eight years old, I didn’t know the word “meditative,” but that’s what it was for me. That’s where my love for painting began.

Image by Jubilee Photography

Fast forward, after a 25-year career in commercial art and photography, I felt something calling me back, back to my roots, back to the quiet peace of painting, and back to nature.

Images by Jubilee Photography and Meghan Aileen. You can shop our collection of her artwork here

In 2020, I set up a small area to paint in my house. I was determined to make it part of my life again. In 2022, I embraced my passion, and I designed and built a nature chapel studio on my property. With warm wood, antique architectural elements, and plants everywhere, it was my space for creating and connecting both with nature and with my community.

Images by Jubilee Photography

I paint landscapes using natural pigments mixed with oil, applied to old, found wood. Each piece is both a painting and a story. The textures in the wood, the cracks, the grain, the age—these are not flaws, but parts of the story. They guide the mood of each piece. The rougher the wood, the looser the composition. I love that. It keeps me from getting too detailed and helps me focus on the essence of the scene, rather than the literal interpretation.

My paintings aren’t about replicating a specific view. Instead, they aim to capture the feeling of nature—the way it wraps around you and grounds you, the peace it brings when you slow down long enough to notice it. We are all part of this ecosystem, we need it to survive and to thrive. Our innate connection is what I want my work to foster in each of us, and remind us of daily in our homes.

These pieces are available for purchase here

I live and work in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, where inspiration is everywhere. Often, I’ll drive around the countryside with my camera or phone, taking quick snapshots of rolling hills, cloudscapes, or a light pattern flickering off the water. I rarely paint these scenes directly. Instead, I sit with them, let them sink in, and later translate the emotion onto wood through intuitive brushstrokes and a neutral, earthy palette.

I think what I’m really trying to do is create a moment... a quiet pause in a world that moves too fast. Nature gives us that naturally—those tiny resets, like watching clouds shift or trees sway. That’s what I want my art to feel like.

Image by Meghan Aileen

Most of my pieces are done on salvaged wood—old barn siding, discarded boards, or architectural remnants. Sometimes I paint on linen or cotton canvas as well. I prefer oil and natural pigments not only for their richness and blending, but because they come from nature. Compared to plastic-based acrylics, this method feels more aligned with honoring balance and sustainability.

This piece is available for purchase here

These four pieces below are a small series I created using the original stair treads from our 1947 cottage here in Leiper’s Fork. We renovated the house last year, and while the stairs needed replacing, I couldn’t bear to throw them away. So instead, I gave them a new life. The pieces I created on those stair treads are an homage to spring skies, those days when the clouds are high and fluffy, the air is full of promise, and everything feels a little lighter. The old dark wood gave these paintings a kind of warmth and memory that you just can’t fake.

These pieces are available for purchase here

My palette is intentionally muted—warm grays, soft browns, creams, dusty greens. These colors feel like home to me, and they allow the texture of the wood and the gesture of the brush to shine through. They also make the work incredibly versatile. My paintings can be displayed on their own or grouped for greater impact. Some people hang them on walls, while others tuck them into shelves or mantles as subtle, soulful additions to their space.

Image by Meghan Aileen

Every piece is one-of-a-kind, created with care, intuition, and a deep reverence for nature.

If you’re someone who’s drawn to quiet, grounding art, pieces that don’t shout but instead hum softly in the background of your life, I think you’ll find something that speaks to you. For those looking to bring the calm of nature indoors, I hope my paintings offer more than just decoration, they offer connection. A remembering of where we come from and what matters.

These pieces are available for purchase here

Painting has become a way for me to come back to myself. After years of creating for others in the commercial world, this is what feels truest, what brings me back to that innocence of being an 8-year-old girl discovering magic. 

I’m so grateful to share it with you.

Meghan is working on a new nature chapel on her property in Franklin, Tennessee, and always creating new art, decor, and nature-inspired spaces! Follow along @meghanaileen on Instagram. You can find her work at www.meghanaileenart.com and here at Patina Home and Garden.