Written by: Gretchen Sims
Whether art is one’s passion or hobby, it is important to acknowledge how impactful it can be on one’s life.
Morgan Amerson Horton, this month’s senior artist in the WUC, explores the concept of art as a reflection of life in their exhibit “Color Me Surprised.” This exhibit uses colors and different mediums to bring the pieces to life.
Below is Amerson Horton talking about what makes them the artist they are today.
“The interest I have in art has always been innate. It is something I have tried to incorporate into everything I do. I am constantly observing, seeing where beauty has left its mark. Graffiti on the side of a train, sculptures and architecture that seemed to go unnoticed, the unique faces and lives of the passerby…
I got my creative start from watching everything my mom did. She painted us kids huge murals in our bedrooms, each one unique to our ‘theme.’ She’s stayed up late helping us create projects for our classes. Her and I have refurbished furniture, painted anything under the sun, and put together incredible decorative events. We have always been a dynamic duo.
My dad doesn’t have an artistic bone in his body but he has always shown his love for what I do. When he was writing his book A God Nearby: Three Medieval Views of Immanence and Transcendence, he asked me to create the cover. He even has the painting hung up in his office; as if my art isn’t all over the house.
My parents’ encouragement in my pursuit for the arts is something I have always been glad to have. I couldn’t be where I am today without their all-encompassing support in me.
I am often inspired by a feeling of nostalgia or personal history. My Memory series encompasses the many places I’ve lived in and what was influential/important to me while I was there. The sculpture ‘Light of My Life’ invokes a feeling of household femininity, and childhood encapsulation. The natural environment is also a symbol in a lot of my works; florals especially.
Going back Memory, I incorporated the state flower in each pair as a way to add my adoration for the different environments I was surrounded by. This feeling is also represented in the sculpture ‘The Vastness of Reality.’ My biggest inspiration though is color.
I am repeatedly attracted to bright, fun, and colorful. That above all else takes place in what I do. Works like ‘Feel the Rainbow’ and ‘Go with the Flow’ encompasses my love for color and playful abstraction. It is obvious I am not shy to pushing the limit and being as loud as I can be.
If you take anything from my art, it’s to be 100% you. Don’t let others limit what you can create or what you can be. I have always been told I need to tone it down but I make what speaks to me. What feel’s natural.”
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
