ARTWATCH: No End to the Innocence

Bear. Child. Fire. Warmth. Nature.

And all of it, snugly wrapped in a comfortable canopy of innocence.

Local artist Megan Myers, who painted (yes, painted) this week's Source cover, passionately described the central themes of her work on a cloudy winter day in Bend, where the color of the sky perfectly matches the one in her picture.

"It's like the child in all of us that isn't fearful of exploring and wearing their heart on their sleeve—before we all get a little jaded," Myers says.

Much like her characters, Myers displays not a sliver of "jaded." Not when it comes to her work or her new high desert surroundings. "I'm always trying to be extra observant," she says. "I don't take any of this for granted, what we have at our fingertips here. It's like every direction you look, there's something really stunning."

She's already done the Northwest big city thing. Seattle? Portland? Yes, and yes. But it's right here in Bend where her creativity's currently blossoming: "There's a whole new set of characters I'm developing that are more Central Oregon, like bighorn sheep and pronghorn and rattlesnakes. I think they're so lovely because they sort of have to struggle to get by—and there's a kind of beauty in that."

Myers' next big project? Illustrating a children's book due out next year. "It's like the perfect match," she says, her innocent megawatt smile glowing ever brighter, lighting up a gray afternoon, not taking anything for granted.

See Myers' work:

High Desert Mural Festival

The Cosmic Depot

342 NE Clay Ave., Bend

Midtown Art Alley

471 NE Greeley Ave., Bend

Free