Interview
Mary E. Morgan
Mary is a Texas-born abstract expressionist painter. Although her life’s career was teaching art, Mary is currently a working artist. Her collective work is a visual of her life’s journey, with influences from spiritual truths, nature, family, literature, and everyday circumstances.
Although her work is often recognized by her spontaneous and intuitive mark making, she recognizes that the content of her work is a combination of conscious and subconscious thought; a reflection of her soul that requires an emotional response. It is her desire to impact others by turning their thoughts to what is creatively inspiring, and especially to artists who are seeking to find their own voice and vision.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born in Texas and I've spent most of my life here. I traveled with my family to Cali, Colombia as a child and lived there for a year. I also lived in Zurich, Switzerland for a year, as a senior in high school. I took my first art class at the International School of Zurich under the teaching of Rhoda Isaacs. Upon entering college, I chose to minor in Art Education and subsequently became an art teacher.
I taught art for over thirty years at middle, upper and college levels. I was always interested in painting since the very beginning. As I taught, I would often paint when I had the time. However, it was not until I graduated from Texas Woman's University with my Master's degree in painting that I gained enough mentoring to be a painter. Although a late bloomer, I was learning more about painting because I was teaching it. I felt like I had truly accomplished my goal when I retired from teaching. Taking students to NYC on field trips and traveling around Europe with students were opportunities for me to see large amounts of excellent and diverse artworks, which inspired me to keep painting when I sometimes wanted to quit.”
What inspires you most?
“I am inspired greatly by my life's experiences, both tangible and intangible. Sometimes I don't realize what has inspired me until I am finished with a painting. Then I can visibly feel what the influence was and what the painting is about. Other times I am directly influenced by my surroundings, and know why and what has influenced me. It's a mix of the conscious and subconscious.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Themes I pursue are diverse and varied. I believe I am influenced by external and internal experiences. I can be inspired by nature and by any place, from my backyard to places I've been. I am influenced by literature, my family and spiritual truths. My work can have dual meaning, including underlying messages.”
“Today, we have lost some of the value that the visual arts have always provided. This is because people may be doing art for the wrong reasons. It's not my call to make but hopefully, we will never lose the idea that art is valuable, for the reason that it provides a resource for creative ideologies to exist.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is often colorful, spontaneous and somewhat intuitive. It has emotional content and often represents past, present or future events.
Which artists influence you most?
“There have been so many wonderful painters through the years. The Abstract Expressionist painters have had the most influence: De Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Pollock. I also cannot leave out Kandinsky or Georgia O'Keeffe, who have made lasting impressions. Current painters I admire are Jose Para, Ceily Brown, Albert Oehlen and Angel Otero.”
What is your creative process like?
“I spend time thinking through what inspires me. I often research artists that inspire me. I figure out what materials I have, and what I want to express using these available materials. Then I often spend time meditating and mark-making using drawing materials or paint. As I continue to dwell and paint, I spend about two or three hours creating. This process happens once or twice a week, and sometimes I put the art away if I don't think it’s finished.
I sometimes work on two different paintings at once, and often I do a series. It's not magic, and I don't even pretend that its simple or easy. Often, this process is laborious and takes much energy. However, I always feel refreshed after I've been working in the studio.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The artist’s role is varied. Some artists create because they have a statement to make about politics or social commentary. I paint to express my personal life's journey. Ultimately, artists are the creative resource that society needs to take our lives into a transitory state of mind. Artists provide spaces to transcend to a different mindset. Sometimes our minds are resting in the creative process because we find inspiration and take action.”
“Although my work is abstract and expressive, I think it is much more about life, than technique or style. It is about feeling ‘something’ when you see it.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have been privileged to have had several different faculty shows with schools where I taught. I have also been in some local juried shows along with online exhibitions.
Magazine presence:
- Contemporary Art Magazine, Light Space and Time online gallery.
- Art Tour International Magazine where I received the collector's award for fall '21. You can read about it here.Certificates:
I was given the Luxembourg Certificate participation award '21.”
