Columbus artist puts multiple mediums to use in work

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“Organized chaos” is the first thing that comes to mind when stepping into artist Kate Morgan’s studio in the Columbus Idea Foundry.

It’s a small studio, but it’s stuffed full of art and materials from floor to ceiling, everything from oil paints and India ink to mechanical blueprints and a 200-year-old German Bible. Every single medium and material is fair game. Often, Morgan will find a material she’s had for years and never used, only to be suddenly inspired by it.

After going back to school at the Columbus College of Art and Design in 2005, Morgan developed a love for drawing and painting because of her background in fashion and commercial photography. Her hand-drawn photograph compositions became gradually more and more intricate and interesting, and eventually became her primary focus.

Today, she is a full-time artist, selling her art at festivals and shows year-round. Last year, she attended 29 shows from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C. – including our own Columbus Arts Festival, at which she has won jurors’ awards for two-dimensional work in 2015 and 2016. Needless to say, she keeps busy.

“I’m in the business of buying and selling art,” Morgan says. “I’ll start stressing out if I go too long without drawing something. I need to make stuff, but I also need to have other people’s art around.”

Morgan describes her style as a mix of everything she loves, including Byzantine, Egyptian, Assyrian, Sumerian, German and expressionist, with a hint of early 20th century Austrian painter Egon Schiele. While themes of feminine empowerment run through much of her work, a childhood love of folk art and storytelling are also constant inspirations.

All of these inspirations come together to encompass a body of work that is as varied as the inspirations themselves. As a painter, Morgan loves to experiment with textures and layering, and challenging herself with color and transparency. The female form is a theme throughout much of work, often nude. The nude female form was a strong focus in her earliest pieces.

“It’s a woman acknowledging what she is worshipped and condemned for at the same time, and playing with it,” she says. “There’s a strength in that.”

Today, Morgan’s art still celebrates the female body, but if you’re expecting the same kind of art at each of her shows, think again. She is always looking for new ways to challenge herself, and rarely starts any piece with a firm concept. She prefers the freedom of a loose plan, and letting her emotions guide the piece to completion.

“I’m always fascinated by how, even if I put intent into a piece, some people take something completely different from it,” She remarks, “It’s fun to keep them minimalistic and see what people interpret from it. It opens my mind to see how people think and interpret.”

In September, Morgan will be one of a select group of hand-picked artists chosen to submit art for the Art for Life event. The event will benefit Equitas Health, raising funds for AIDS awareness and services. A collaboration with the Pizzuti Collection, Art for Life is an auction-style fundraiser. As part of the auction, her art will be displayed in the Columbus Museum of Art. She painted a new piece specifically for the event.

The future for Morgan means more challenges and growth. She’s working with ever more intricate collages, using a wider variety of fabrics and papers. She wants to do larger pieces. And as a self-proclaimed “blue person” who loves a palette of cool colors such as blues, greens and purples, she has been branching out into warmer hues. Her old styles are constantly mixing with her experimentations to make new things.

“We all have a certain amount of insecurity to deal with,” she says of artists. “But I’m actually happy with where my art is going, whereas before I’ve always been unsure. I have hundreds of ideas. I’m starting my next level.”

Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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