Artist Spotlight: Morgan Blair

By Daniel Buyanovsky

With a little help from some post-bran DMT and an affinity for funky abstraction, Brooklyn-based illustrator/photographer/art-slave Morgan Blair is building her portfolio.

Her recent works include collaborations with Paper-Spaceship, like the Art Cart (currently located in Chelsea), and a limited edition collectible poster to be distributed throughout NYC on July 1st.

On a groggy Monday afternoon, Paper-Spaceship caught up with her to talk about Brooklyn crap-art, selling out, and a solo show in Berlin.

How did your creative career begin?  

The wife of a former teacher from school is an art director for a financial magazine, and she would occasionally give us “real life” assignments for articles in the upcoming issue. Whoever’s piece she thought worked the best would end up in print and the student paid in full. After we graduated she continued to hire some of us, so I guess that was when my freelance “illustrating” career started. The first one out of school was a boy putting on 3-d glasses in order to study an array of crystals. I ended up having to redo it because my final looked nothing like the sketch I sent.

When did it start to go in different directions – photography, drawing, painting?

I guess it’s always been kind of schizophrenic that way. I think it’s gone more away from drawing and towards painting in the last few years, but me painting is still more like drawing anyway so…I don’t really know yet.

Do you have to be able to work in different mediums to survive as an artist?

I’m not sure if I’ve survived yet. I don’t think everyone needs to be versatile with media to survive, but it can certainly be beneficial to some people. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a multimedia artist, a proficiency and/or passion for other media or disciplines can influence your work in a positive way.

Where's the line between selling art and selling out?  

You know, like...when you get paid to leave your morals at the door, you've "sold out." It's different in every situation, but I think you know it when you cross it.

Who are your favorite artists? Did you find it important to aspire to specific individuals?

I like a lot of different artists. Richard Coleman, Maya Hayuk, Arthur Wood, Lisa Frank, Brendan Monroe, Ben Jones, Kill Pixie...many others. I don't think it's important to aspire to another person's style.

Did you spend a lot of time researching the careers of other artists?

 
I never really spent too much time researching other artists' careers, but once in a while when I come across someone whose work I really love I end up learning more about them.

Do you listen to music when you make art?

Usually I have some music on partly to suit my mood, partly to fill up space, and partly as aesthetic inspiration. I also have a big VHS collection, so sometimes I'll put one on while I work, though I usually just end up listening to it.

Would you say your work is hopeful or hopeless?

Both together. Hopeless in hopeful's clothing?

Is the Brooklyn art scene really as cool as it’s made out to be - in the sense that it's a Bohemian paradise of exchanged ideas, or is it just saturated with a lot of cool people?  

I don't know, Brooklyn definitely represents the whole spectrum. I think the art scene in general is more expansive than it is "cool." There's always a lot of crap, but there are also a lot of amazing artists and creative individuals and collectives, some of whom I've had the privilege of getting to know and working with. I like making new awesome friends here.

A lot of your work seems to be colorful in the way that people would associate it with psychadelia. Do you use drugs when you paint/draw/take pictures? If so, what kind?

No, just DMT every morning after cereal.

When you're putting pencil to paper, or paintbrush to canvas, do you have a clear idea of what you're going to make?  

These days I do. I've started planning things out more than I used to. A calculated process feels more meditative to me.

Why do you make art? Was there any time when you thought you'd stop?  

Well...it's fun I guess. I like breaking down and translating ideas or feelings or memories into a visual format, which is how I seem to make the most sense of it all. Also, when you're in a zone while making art it feels therapeutic, and it's nice to end up with a hypnotic visual assault at the end. I never thought about stopping. Why stop?

Do you have an audience in mind when you work?  

The audience I have in mind depends on what I'm doing.

If your body of work were broken up into two categories, like "stuff that looks cool," and "stuff that challenges the viewer," which one would it be?

If they were mutually exclusive and I had to choose, I hope I would choose "stuff that challenges the viewer." From there it can look cool, too. I find that lately concept dictates form more than the other way around.

Is it pretentious to talk about art?  

Not unless you're a pretentious person.  

Do you ever feel your ideas of yourself as an artist changing, or do you think you've found a specific style that's your own?  

I'm still working that out. I think I'll be working that out forever. We're always changing in some way, no?  

Would you rather have a solo show in Brooklyn or Manhattan?  

Depends where. Right now I guess Manhattan because it would be reaching a little further. What about Berlin?

A performance artist once told me that poetry was the mother of art, and photography the father. Where do you fit in the family tree?

Hmmm…I guess I’m a daughter? A disciple? A slave?