Although our fragile bodies limit our time in physical form, our souls are transcendental and infinite. What we do and with whom we share our lives while we are on this earth becomes part of our story, of our legacy—leaving behind pieces of ourselves so that our loved ones can create something beautiful with it when we are gone, even when beauty is obscured by grief.
Meg Stewart is a visual artist, illustrator, professional photographer, and haiku master. She’s the founder of The Art of Grief, a collection of abstract art pieces and poetry dedicated to the loving memory of her husband, Jerry Stewart.
This love story turned into art and became a story about creativity and transformation, which goes beyond the clichés about happiness and soul mates. Jerry and Meg met in the Fall of 1998 and got married in 2004. They were like John Lennon and Yoko, destined to unite their hearts to create a fascinating piece of art with their love.
Jerry was the painter and the multifaceted Creative Soul who was admired by all. He found in Meg the perfect canvas to paint his masterpiece, and he continues to co-create with Meg, guiding her through the right path, brightening the way with the light of his soul, and reminding her how spectacular and ravishing she is.
Sadly, Jerry was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. In the two years that followed, Meg stood by Jerry’s side, caring for him. Her love for him continues to palpitate and with every stroke, she leaves a piece of her heart on the canvas, and with every word she writes, Jerry’s love goes on.
It can be hard to describe how it feels when the unavoidable of life takes a loved one. The awful pain opens a hole in the chest, making every part of the body feel as if it’s vanishing, and whatever we are left with goes unnoticed because the physical world no longer makes sense.
Meg had to embark on a journey that was not part of her and Jerry’s vision board. There is no need to describe the dark night of the soul that she went through in detail, but the courage inside her veins, and the love she shared with Jerry, boosted her senses and helped her stand on her two feet and begin the process of healing. Meg sought ways to conduct her pain, joining a grief group program where she was guided to use art to approach grief differently. This is how The Art of Grief was born.
Through The Art of Grief, Meg allows the art to take charge to help reveal what she’s truly feeling. This practice serves as a tool to help her understand what she can’t put into words. Meg lets it all out through the brush, going from canvas to canvas, facing her emotions and embracing them, missing him, her eternal love.
During the pandemic, Meg decided to create an Instagram profile to share her extensive collection of abstract art, not knowing how much she would impact people’s lives. Her art is eye-catching and profound. It’s visual emotion on paper.
Most of the art supplies Meg uses were Jerry’s – charcoal, ink, oil pastels, and watercolor, to name a few. She sells her art by request, on canvas, watercolor, mixed media, and acrylic.
Feeling underwater, lost, and broken is a continuous routine for the grieving heart. Meg has found refuge in her Creative Soul to give her the necessary space to feel comfortable as she allows art to take charge and shape her days and nights.
Besides painting to express her grief, Meg also started writing haiku poems to Jerry. She wrote many heartfelt poems, turning them into a book titled Grief Haiku, available on Amazon.
“Can we just be kind?” Meg is asking us. “We don’t know how much weight the other carries, so please be empathetic. Ask yourself why someone has certain reactions. Try to be kind because something dark may be happening to them. Stop and think, breathe.” Meg is encouraging us to take responsibility for our actions and be considerate of others, even when they may treat us in a hurtful way.
Life is a long road filled with smiles and tears, and when the path leads to tragic experiences, our reason for existence can disappear. It can take many, many years to recover and a whole lot of courage to decide to do it. The pain doesn’t go away; we just learn to live with it, find the light within it, and finally see its beauty.
Meg is the most beautiful example of how to rise from the ashes. She is like the mighty Phoenix, and she has risen, filling the world with the colors of her Creative Soul.
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MORE ABOUT MEG
In 2004, Meg got into photography motivated by her husband Jerry – her muse. He would encourage her to pursue photography, knowing well that she had the gift of a ‘seer’ helping time stand still in a single shot. Her photos are available on Zazzle, Shutterstock, and Fine Art America.
