The love of art flows through Jenny Morgan just as freely as the air she breathes. Nothing slows this incredible artist down, not even the loss of sight in her left eye. As a classically trained artist, she has allowed her training to influence her contemporary art style, but has also invested a great deal of time honing her own style.
Jenny Morgan is an example of a multi-faceted artist that enjoys working in various mediums. Pencil, charcoal, acrylics, and pastel are among her top choices. She also enjoys taking mediums and mixing them to create various textural and visual elements.
Work produced by Jenny Morgan most often portrays animals she loves or the human form. Jenny’s careful study of both human and animal anatomy is carefully orchestrated into each piece. She also expertly utilizes light sources to make images pop and focus the viewers attention on a specific area.
What is most impressive about Jenny Morgan’s pieces is how the very soul and essence of the subject comes to light so freely. Jenny obviously puts a lot of time and effort into each masterpiece she creates, but let’s ask the artist herself a few questions about her art and her career.
What entices you so much about human and animal forms?
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. It has many facets, how beauty and attractiveness is perceived depends very much on the experiences of the viewer. The round forms of the human body and the familiar warmth and coziness of animals however is recognised from our memories as children. To me the appeal is a natural progression of the love I felt then.
The setback of losing sight in one eye had to be difficult, but what inspired you to soldier on when others might have pursued other avenues of employment?
Losing my sight was a setback, it has to be said. My 3D perspective had vanished overnight. It prevented me from working on my collage work, which needed extra perception to determine how the various layers worked together. On the other hand, I go out less and spend more time in my studio. I spend 6 hours each day working on new ideas and methods. As a consequence I have many more finished paintings and I feel my work is progressing in style.
Do you tend to paint from photographs, memory, or have a live subject present?
Often the pets I am commissioned to paint are deceased. The images people give me are not often the best but I battle along with them, using what artistic license I can. I have not had to decline work so far. There are always elements of the personality that can be extracted. Given the opportunity I will visit the subject and take my own photos whilst at the same time getting a feel for the character. For people I do like to have them sit, but again it’s not always practical.
Who or what influenced you in your pursuit to become such a gifted artist?
I had the good fortune of living with an ‘arty’ family. In their own various ways they guided me into seeing things slightly ‘off kilter’. I am known for my own eccentricity and way of dressing. My love of faces and human shapes were utilised even at school, where my fellow pupils would sit or more often lounge on the desks whilst I tried to capture their likeness .
I won’t go into all the artists who have inspired me over the years.., there are too many. If I could pick one artist who I would aspire to it would be Tamara de Limpicka. The stylish way she transformed the wonderful women she painted and the flamboyant colours and settings of the Art Deco period are like no other to my mind, so vibrant and full of vitality. Just Fabulous.
You have already answered about your favourite painting, but which one did you have the most fun painting? Many of your paintings seem to have a certain level of joy attached to the imagery.
The joy I feel when painting is hard to explain. All artists try to describe how the focus on their art takes them away from the room they are in and the time on the clock. For me my passion comes from trying to capture the essence or life-source of my subject. I am enraptured when I get the ‘twinkle’ in the eye just right
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