Daily Inspiration: Meet Megan Foldenauer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan.

Hi Megan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2013, Ypsilanti lost its one art supply store and over the next decade, it (and Ann Arbor) would lose ALL of their independent art shops. As a local working artist, this frustrated me to no end. I wrote and re-wrote the idea for Ypsi Art Supply in notebooks year after year until I met Jennifer Eastridge, another local small business owner. She was so encouraging and offered to mentor me and cheerlead me toward my dream. For the next two years after that meeting, I worked to learn what I could about being a business owner and looking for a spot to open my shop.

In 2023, I opened YAS inside Riverside Arts Center in downtown Ypsi. It was a very small space – a sort of training wheels for my idea. The night I opened, I spent the whole five hours behind the register with a line out the door! The community response was incredible.

At the end of that year, I had the opportunity to upgrade my space to a proper storefront just a few feet down the block from RAC, so I jumped at it. It was much sooner than I had intended to make that leap, but it felt right. I re-opened in the new, bigger, space in February 2024.

In October 2024, I left my “day job” in order to devote all of my attention and time (and heart!) to YAS. I expanded its hours and the public response has been wonderful! SO many folks are incredibly enthusiastic about shopping locally and supporting the shop – it’s simply stunning every single week.

Last Monday (4/7/25) was the two year anniversary of the shop’s opening and things are growing and growing!

As for myself, I have been an artist my whole life. I’m a transplant from Chicago where I did my BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ve been a medical illustrator for 20+ years having done that training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. After finishing school, I re-devoted myself to expanding my fine art practice – I’m an annual participant in the Ann Arbor Art Fair, the Original and I’ve done Grand Rapids’ Art Prize five times. Currently, I have completed approximately 2,500 drawings and paintings.

I’ve had several solo shows in the state of Michigan and completed a 365-days-of-painting project in 2019 where I made a painting every day for a year. in 2017, I gave a TedX talk about my life at the intersection of art and science, and, last year, I taught Anatomy for Artists for Wayne State University in Detroit.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. A lot of my struggles have centered around a lack of self-confidence and hidden ailments like mental health issues. I’ve had a tendency to downplay my achievements and abilities when I aim for a new adventure (e.g., opening the art shop, having a solo show, teaching, etc.).

In addition, I lost both of my parents during the time I had my son (about 15 years ago), and that unmoored a lot of my forward momentum. That said, it made me take stock of my life and realize how breathtakingly short our time is. It pushed me to remain committed to not letting my artistic dreams fall by the wayside.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work visually explores connections and blurs the lines and edges between our objects and ourselves. Boundaries are man-made; there are no beginnings or endings in nature. Anatomy, biology, chemistry – all science – supports this interconnectedness. We are pulled away from each other under false pretenses.

My work celebrates this multiplicity through drawing and painting at a very small scale – structures, textures, forms, and often overlooked qualities are endless in their variety. Reveling in the extreme care that’s required to render precise detail on a multitude of 2D surfaces in a combination of pencil, carbon dust, watercolor, oil paint, and ink.

I’m earnestly devoted to exploring the seemingly “everyday” and demonstrating that nothing in our world is even remotely commonplace. The work continuously seeks out community with a broad range of people as it builds a comprehensive body of images that tell our human story.

My style is highly realistic and that sets me apart from many. I also work very small, which makes my work memorable.

What matters most to you? Why?
It’s very important to me that people know they are inherently creative beings. Making art is as fundamental to humans as speaking, walking, and reading. We lose this understanding quite young in the United States and that’s a real shame. In my art shop, I encourage everyone to try their hand at whatever creative outlet inspires them. I especially love talking to kids who are about the age I was when art became everything in my life (about 9-10). I hope I have an impact on them sticking with their creativity and it remains 100% normal as part of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://meganfoldenauer.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/meganfoldenauer & instagram.com/ypsiartsupply
• Facebook: facebook.com/meganlovestodraw & facebook.com/ypsiartsupply
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mebfoldenauer/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/meganfoldenauer
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ypsi-art-supply-and-atelier-ypsilanti
• Other: https://ypsiartsupply.com