{"id":19927,"date":"2023-05-03T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T22:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/?p=19927"},"modified":"2026-04-14T18:29:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:29:06","slug":"a-work-in-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/a-work-in-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"A Work in Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by: Gretchen Sims<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether art is one\u2019s passion or hobby, it is important to acknowledge how impactful it can be on one\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Morgan Amerson Horton, this month\u2019s senior artist in the WUC, explores the concept of art as a reflection of life in their exhibit \u201cColor Me Surprised.\u201d This exhibit uses colors and different mediums to bring the pieces to life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is Amerson Horton talking about what makes them the artist they are today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u2018theme.\u2019 She\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My dad doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t all over the house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My parents’ encouragement in my pursuit for the arts is something I have always been glad to have. I couldn\u2019t be where I am today without their all-encompassing support in me.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am often inspired by a feeling of nostalgia or personal history. My Memory series encompasses the many places I\u2019ve lived in and what was influential\/important to me while I was there. The sculpture \u2018Light of My Life\u2019 invokes a feeling of household femininity, and childhood encapsulation. The natural environment is also a symbol in a lot of my works; florals especially.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u2018The Vastness of Reality.\u2019 My biggest inspiration though is color.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am repeatedly attracted to bright, fun, and colorful. That above all else takes place in what I do. Works like \u2018Feel the Rainbow\u2019 and \u2018Go with the Flow\u2019 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you take anything from my art, it’s to be 100% you. Don\u2019t 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\u2019s natural.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu<\/span><\/p>\n

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