Mini photoshoot @ The Nook

I went to school for decorating and styling but LET ME TELL YOU it's a bit overwhelming when you're in the room with your assistant and a bunch of furniture/props trying to work out what to even do first - and you've actually never put your training into proper practice before. Haha! Mandy and I moved everything we'd gathered to photograph into The Nook (next door to Commonfolk, where my studio is) and we stood in the centre of the room looking at all the things we had to work with while some guy unpacked his surfboards •

I planned heaps of shots for us to try - but even then it's really something you have to do on the spot, because sometimes it just doesn't go to plan?? Super lucky i had Mandy (Tauro Designs) and Tommy (to photograph) who helped loads - i think having friends to work with help takes the pressure off a bit. As in, they understand if you need to lie down and count to ten because nothing's working.

It's all a learning process and we'll just keep getting better (hopefully!) but i think we pulled it off! Some i like more than others, (my favourite is the fox on the desk~) but i think all of them represent the work well and that's all that matters!

Here's a couple of shots:

Styled by myself & Tauro Designs
Photographed by Tom Terlaak

!! 

xx

Preparation

Preparing for Finders Keepers Adelaide next month! Kate and i are going to drive over. I'm trying to gather a list of appropriate stuff to take and come up with some genius tiny market design which displays everything adequately, on a small scale! I've only got a debut stall which is 1.5 x 1.5m - hope i pull it off! Stay tuned~

All prints are available online or in studio -  you know the drill!

(www.emmamorgan.bigcartel.com) 

xx

Safe Keeping

A few months ago my studio mates Sarah, Kate & I had a group exhibition at The Nook in Mornington. It was probably the most overwhelming show i've ever been in to be honest, but also the one i was most proud of. Actually, all of us were. Leading up to it, March was a complete blur, and it was full on - because in between actually finishing work to show we had massive markets and so also had heaps of stock to prepare - and i'd just returned from Japan! How my brain functioned and didn't just fry itself is truly remarkable. We curated this show ourselves, and organised the sponsors, media/advertising and props too. Crazy times. All of us look back now and seriously wonder how we pulled it all off! Anyway, here below are some photos of it by Sarah and our photographer friend, Tom Terlaak. 

About our show:

“Safe Keeping is an exhibition by Sarah Dingwall, Kate Macindoe and Emma Morgan that explores the concept of preservation, as well as each artists’ own desire to protect an object or moment. Inspired by the natural world, each artist reflects on their connections to places, memories, ideas and objects through their respective mediums.

The artists enjoy working alongside each other in their shared studio space at Commonfolkin Mornington. Together, they have valued the creative processes behind hand-making each of the artworks in this show.”

(Tom)

(Sarah)

(Tom) 

(Sarah)

(Tom)

(Sarah) 

(Promo images; Kate's Urchin Bowl, Golden Slumbers by yours truly, and the magnificent Sarah Stick. hehe)

Please check out my friends! 

Sarah - www.sarahdingwall.com.au (Glass)
Kate - www.katemacindoe.com (Silversmith) 
Tom - www.tomterlaak.bigcartel.com (Photography)

xx

Sleepy

Everything is starting to wind now a bit now, since i've finished all my work for my shows this year. (Although i still feel the stress of it a bit)! But I feel like the first half of the year has been non-stop - sort of like running into brick wall after brick wall; I can break through the walls but as i keep going it starts to hurt and get sore, and i need a rest. Does that make sense?

Maybe it's why this idea has popped into my little brain. Exploring sleep. Resting. Vulnerability, being unaware. Although, i read on my internet adventures, that the (very clever) brain is able to detect when someone is watching you, even while sleeping. It's along the lines of a concept i was looking at a while back - the notion of the gaze/what is a predator- during my solo show last year. I think it's something i will explore further.

Here is a sleepy fox from today. : )

xx

The Beast Beside Us

Wow, we opened last night and had a massive turn out!

Show is beautifully put together by lovely Jeanne & Jenny, and has a fabulous variety of artists involved - including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and prints of animal related imagery!

I had 3 works in this show, 'Majesty', 'Grey' and 'Kodiak', and we are in Gallery 2. The show is on now until the 27th. Red Gallery (157 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy Nth: open Wed - Sat, 11-5pm. : )

All my work framed in a box frame (with oak), and i honestly think spending the extra $$ was worth it. Framed by Forman Picture Framing who have been so supportive to me!

People think art show openings are super chill but i always feel stressed watching people wander through looking/pointing at everything and then checking the price! (Free wine doesn't help)

(Semi dodgy as i just ripped it off my instagram)

(sorry)

(You can follow me there for more fun times on ig but @emmma.morgan)

(Yay!)

xxxx

Better late than never

Wow i haven't posted on here in so long! So much has happened.
I will try to update more often with my arty adventures + tips and tricks i've learnt along the way. Starting out is hard. I think it will be fun to document everything as i go!

I'm on Facebook & Instagram (and now starting a Pinterest board!) So that's really where i've been. Sort of.

MOVING ALONG.

I am in a group show, opening this week.

'The Beast Beside Us' 
Red Gallery: 157 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North.

This mini series is a further exploration of how people depict certain animals in popular culture - it was something i was looking at years ago back at Uni (with particular interest in the wolf - a creature that has always scared me a little! But really this fear is due to the way i've been exposed to the idea of wolves and werewolves and such - you see what i'm getting at??). It's about trying to remove the ruthless man-eater stigma, as well as the charming courageous, wondrous thing (although i have less of an issue with this portrayal, clearly) - I think it's so important in getting people to understand and care for animals better.

It's all very interesting to me though.

Anyway, opens at 6pm. Come see if you're around!



xx

Second Crash

My friend is having a charity raffle to help raise money for the cancer council, so i thought i'd offer to put in a drawing! I wish i had some mount board to make it look slightly less awkward in this frame above. Besides, I think sometimes when things are dead centre it can be a bit boring, haha! I still have time to organise this anyway. 

Emma

X

It was a rock lobster!

Sorry that these photos are super dodgy! I had to take them quickly. Mum is leaving for England tomorrow and asked me to draw some crustaceans for my Godmother who has a thing for lobsters? haha. They're only like 12 x 16 cm. Pen.
Enjoy.

Emma
X

Deer friend

Drew this for Joey as it's her birthday tomorrow! Sorry for lack of updates too, i am still here and stuff though. 

Emma

X

Elephants

It doesn't feel like winter anymore, which is lovely. And i haven't posted anything new here for a while, so have a happy elephant couple. I tried out acrylic paint to block in the black instead of running my pens dry and i think it looks great too! Roughly 40x45cm.

Emma
X

There's a Hare in there

WHUDDUP

Recently my Rhino was featured on Eat, Sleep, Draw on Tumblr, so that's pretty rad? After this i was emailed by a little website called 'Artsicle' and they're setting up i guess online portfolios/profiles for people. So if you're an art person you should check it out! 

My profile is here if you want to have a looky. 

This Hare above was one of the first pen drawings i did! I don't think i've really posted it anywhere though, so here you go. Enjoy. 

Emma

X

Un Cheval

My week has consisted of sickness and hibernation. And this horse. (Im teaching myself French courtesy of Mum's ipad French teaching apps. Ayo). But it's a big A1 drawing. Standard fine liner, you know the drill. 

(So, i've started doing drawings again, i'll post another in a few days). 

Au revoir, mon amie? 

Emma

X

Don't ever forget

I haven't been working on any new drawings recently! Im in need of new weapons (pens) so i'm awaiting on those before i start any more. BUT i'll leave this one here for your viewing pleasure.

Emma

X

Hey Bulldog

Commission for a friend. Nice and British.

Emma, 

X

Monet's Garden

I actually decided to wander up to the city today to look at the Monet exhibition that NGV has on right now. I'm not a particularly huge Monet fan, or really even a huge lover of impressionism (bar maybe his pal Renoir~) but it was a really good exhibition! They had a lot of paintings on display which really thoroughly captured the progression of his work. It made me laugh that groups of people being guided along kept standing as close to the works as they could to the paintings - considering impressionist works are definitely best viewed from a distance. They look fabulous until you walk up to it and become confused by the mess of paint. Was interesting to see that he was inspired by Japanese gardens/prints as well as Turners landscape paintings on his trip to London (i think 'Water and Steam'). Anyway, i'm glad i went to have a look (even though im sure the entrance fee has gone up~). It's open late on a Friday as well, so you have no excuse not to go!

I ended up purchasing the exhibition book, as well as one on Dali and Ricky Swallow. I will blog about them later though. But good on you NGV with your art book collection. I could go insane in there i think. Anyway. (These aren't my photos - i dont like photographing works in galleries. I always feel like i will be beaten up by the security guards. 10/10 for the framing work though phwoaarr).

Emma,
X

Miniatures

Exciting things coming soon involving these drawings above, all will be revealed soon~ YAY

Emma

X

Emma's Lion

I do love Lions, but i've always had a hard time drawing them - they are deceptively difficult in terms of proportions (mostly the face). So i had (as usual) a difficult time selecting photos to use as reference. But i found one eventually that i didn't initially think to look for, so that was grand. Then i decided to put all of my drawings on the back of my bedroom wall! My favourite animal drawings are usually kept in my large A1 folio which is obviously where they are safest - however, they also unfortunately share this folio with a group of temperamental charcoal drawings that like to imprint themselves onto other works (despite being attacked several times with fixatives). They've ruined a lot of my spare drawing paper so far, so i think i will need to store the charcoal ones elsewhere... Anyway, please enjoy:

Emma

X

Friends 4eva

Emma, 

X

Inspiration Wednesday #2

Oh! Let me share some art by Ericailcane! One of my favourites. You can view all of his work at www.ericailcane.org Enjoy!

Emma, 

X

Printing fun times part 1

I bought some matte paper this afternoon after talking myself into trying to actually make and sell art prints (woah!). After fiddling around trying to photograph my larger drawings and being apprehensive about the printed final, i dug out some smaller drawings to scan and print for comparison. I was much happier with those, so it looks like my larger drawings will have to go to a scanner person before i do anything else. (What a kick in the nuts). Below are some copies i did this afternoon:

(NOT TO SHABBY AYE. Stay tuned...)

Emma

X