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The artist

Myrna Cleghorn
Myrna Cleghorn

Biography

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, as a child, Myrna often day-dreamed of being a stranger in a foreign land. She is the oldest of four siblings, raised by their divorced mother and a stepdad whom she adores. Her childhood memories are comprised of raucous laughter, angry yells and large and loud family gatherings, all set against the landscape of a tropical Island whose identity sways between its Latin-Caribbean roots and the American influence.

Realizing early on that pursuing higher education was the ticket to spread her wings, after obtaining a Bachelor´s Degree in Communication Arts from the University of Puerto Rico, she went on to get a Master's Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio, Texas.

Though her intention was to become a writer, she jumped at the opportunity of working with a major airline, first as a reservations agent in San Antonio, Texas and later in sales, in Miami, Florida, fulfilling her childhood dream of traveling around the world.

It was during a trip to Cozumel, Mexico that she met Larry, the love of her life, eventually marrying him and moving there.

In 2009 she self-published the book, "Ese Gusto por la Vida" ( That taste for life ), an experience she refers to as “painting with words extraordinary moments from ordinary experiences.”

Becoming a visual artist was, in her own words, “an accident”. A stint at a painting workshop taught by a local resident artist uncovered a talent she was not aware of and awakened a passion that took her by surprise.

Since that pivotal night in 2015, the artist who taught the workshop, Dominican Republic native, Niurka Guzman Otañez, has become her teacher, mentor and friend, guiding and encouraging her artistic growth and formation.

Myrna has participated in numerous collective exhibitions throughout Mexico and in Puerto Rico, earning experience, perspective and recognition.

In 2017, in her first ever participation in a contest, Myrna won first place in the exhibit Maravillas de la Naturaleza , sponsored by the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel, and then went on to win third place in 2018 and first place again in 2019.

In 2018, her painting, “Entre líneas”, a socio-political critique on the colonial status of her native Puerto Rico, was pre-selected, though not chosen, for the IV Bienal J. A. Monroy sponsored by the University of Guadalajara, Mexico among hundreds of entries. And in 2019, “Huellas milenarias”, a call to create awareness of our impact on Nature, in general, and the wetlands, in particular, was one of 85 pieces selected among more than 2000, to be part of the I Bienal de Artes Biodiversidad de Mexico , which opened in the Mayan Museum of Cancun subsequently going on to Merida and Monterrey, Mexico.

Her work chronology is testimony of the artistic maturity she has reached in a relatively short time and an exciting statement of what is still to come.

Artist statement

I am the result of the fusion of various cultures, daughter of the political ambivalence that defines my native country, Puerto Rico.

I discovered painting by accident. For years, I thought of myself as a writer; writing, to me, was like painting with words, but I did not realize my passion for the visual arts until I started painting.

It was at a “ Noche de Bohemia y Pintura ” in Cozumel, a painting workshop led by an accomplished local artist. My first "painting" was a banana grove lulled by the silhouettes of the mountains of my homeland. A randomly chosen image that marked the beginning of a path of discovery that, beyond opening doors, has collapsed walls.

Many of my early works are images of birds, some taking flight, others diving into the sea, all showing off the characteristics that distinguish them and separate them from the rest. I think my fascination with birds stems from my own need to spread my wings and fly; the need to explore, as well as to express and reaffirm my ideas and feelings. To that effect, the canvas and the brush have become my wings.

Through painting I have discovered my thirst for knowledge, my anger at what I consider unfair, my fascination with nature, with form and color, and the power that lies within me, as a woman and as an artist.

Though both my work and I have evolved through the few years that I have been painting, I consider that we are still in diapers. But the potential that lies in me and my development as an artist continue to thrill me.

Art has become an exploration of my Self, my life, my relationships, in the context of the historical, spiritual and emotional moment I am living. I feel a deep respect for this talent that offers me the opportunity to touch people's hearts, to carry a message, or at least arouse curiosity and/ or invite the questioning of established precepts.

Career

Awards

Exhibitions and contests