While in Seattle last weekend for a conference I came across the extraordinary work of artist, Morgan Brig. My friends and I were wandering back to our hotel along Second Avenue when her work caught our attention in the window of Patricia Rovzar Gallery. We were immediately drawn in to take a closer look.
Her wall sculptures are like collage in three dimensions, made with copper and enamel instead of paper and mixed media. They are magical, colourful pieces that incorporate texture, symbols, icons, and bits of text with the theme of “personal circus” running throughout. The titles of each piece, such as “She Said, I Too, Am of Wonder” or “Her Inner Child Was a Show to Behold” are as striking as the pieces themselves and compliment them beautifully. Brig’s work reminds me a lot of the crazy and colourful collage work of Teesha Moore sprung to life in 3-D.
My friends and I were blown away by her work and left wishing we had the money to buy one of her pieces to take home. Though if it were possible for me to purchase one I’m not sure I’d be able to decide which I liked best because they are all so amazing. The online photos of the work don’t quite do justice to how striking they are in person. This was easily the best art show I’ve seen in a very long time.
(Photos used with permission of Patricia Rovzar Gallery)
Rachael,
I am Morgan Brig’s brother. Thank you for your blog on her work. Obviously, I am extremely proud of her accomplishments. It has been, and continues to be, a life journey for her. I feel very fortunate to be able to tag along as Morgan and her art continue to evolve.
She began to be seriously drawn to art in junior high school, as we called it back then. After graduating from West Seattle High School (yes, she is actually a local), she attended the art program at Seattle Central Community College and from there was accepted at the prestigious Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, CA.
As I recall she graduated in the top 10 of her class (they didn’t seem to distinguish further than that) in Art Direction. She went to work for a Commercial Art firm in Minneapolis, MN, and later established an office for that firm here in Seattle. After some time ( I think it was about 10 years or so), she quit and started her fine art career. And the rest, as they say, is history. She currently lives on Vashon Island, WA and regularly shows around the country.
Tim,
Thank you so much for leaving a comment and sharing some of Morgan’s background and history. I really admire her work and hope to see another of her shows at some point. They are really inspiring and creative works of art.
Hi Rachel,
I live on Vashon Island and we have just finished Morgan’s new website! She also has a blog connected to it.
It is MorganBrig.com. She has some wonderful new work. Thought you might like to know.
🙂
Sy
Thanks for letting me know Sy. I love the new site and I have subscribed to her blog.