Meet Savannah Morgan | Oil Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Savannah Morgan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Savannah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I began pursuing an artistic path in 2019 after the birthday gift I painted for my husband received an unexpectedly enthusiastic response. My artistic exploits up until that point had been more “arts and crafts” than masterpieces. The notion of pursuing a creative career had never quite occurred to me, mainly because the thought of calling myself an artist felt like a cocktail of egotism, silliness, and a heavy dash of imposter syndrome. And honestly, some days, it still does.

I’m not your typical art school graduate. I don’t flaunt any formal education in the arts. But in the realm of creativity, aren’t rules waiting to be broken? I began using all the free time I had to paint and with each painting I finished, I came alive. So I started making time to paint. Sure, my early pieces may not have been museum-bound, but I painted anyway. It’s as if I’d unknowingly embraced Julia Cameron’s wisdom: “collect pages, not judgments.” I dedicated myself to studying nature, channeling my emotions, and translating my thoughts onto canvas. It was therapy in every stroke. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the days spent creating were infinitely more satisfying than those without. Then, enter the pandemic, an unexpected plot twist. I found myself jobless, and at a crossroads. The classic dilemma: choose the well-worn path or take a leap of faith. With the support of my biggest cheerleader—my husband, I felt brave enough to choose the latter. I’m so happy I did.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe a quality that may set me apart from others is that I’m not afraid to fail and I’m not afraid of change. I often take on challenges with my paintings that are far out of my current skillset. As my creative journey develops, I find myself going through bouts of time where my taste in art outweighs my skill. To be honest, I’m currently there. Although the discrepancy of what’s in my mind and what is being transferred to the canvas can be so discouraging, it’s also where growth happens. So I just keep practicing. I’ve found there’s no shortcut to mastery, especially as a self taught artist. Some days, the inspiration and motivation to create is strong and some days it’s non-existent. I’m in the mental process of shedding the need for a particular mood to embrace the canvas because I know consistency with your artist self is what yields results.

I’m a little over four years into my artistic career now. I have so many goals yet to achieve and so many dreams yet to uncover. During the moments when my passion wanes, I focus on my past achievements. I take pride in the fact that I’ve created nearly 200 artworks, many of which now are hung in homes across the United States. Conversely, when my passion burns bright, I fine-tune my aspirations for the future. I envision curating an exhibition in a gallery, offering an intimate encounter with my art to a diverse audience. I visualize the confidence to craft live paintings at weddings and special events. Balancing the roles of a present mother, supportive partner, loyal friend, and dedicated artist remains an ongoing challenge I’m determined to master.

Right now, most of my art is particularly inspired by skies and space. I love how the clouds are ever-changing and space is being ever-discovered. I can pull so much inspiration and life parallels from looking to the sky above. The sky and space is vast beyond comprehension and I love how small it makes me and my problems feel. I hope that people feel that peace and serenity radiate from my pieces. I also hope to remain unafraid of failure and change. I hope my art style and subject matter evolves in the coming years and I hope you’re around to watch how it all unfolds.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a bit of a tricky question for me to answer since I just recently moved to Colorado from North Carolina. There is so much of Colorado I have yet to explore but in the two months I’ve been here, I’ve had some amazing experiences. So if I was asked this again in a few months, my answer might be different, but I’d confidently bet that I’d be able to host a good trip here in Colorado already. First, the people here are vibrant, friendly, and accepting in my experience thus far, so the energy is amazing. I would make sure to venture out to Boulder, soak in the view of the iconic Flat Irons, walk Pearl Street, and dine at Rosetta Hall. The views and wildlife of Estes park and Rocky Mountain National Park are must-sees. Even parts of the drive up to Estes Park feels other-worldly. I’d take my guest on the stunning drive around Horsetooth Reservoir and end the day roaming the streets of downtown Fort Collins. There are endless options of quality food, drinks, and shopping there. And last, but not least, I would need to show off Feel Love coffee shop in downtown Loveland. That was quickly become one of my favorite atmospheres. It’s so easy to find beauty, great eats, and a good time in Colorado.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I think about the origins of my artistic journey, I think of my Grandpa. He was a conventional man for his generation, but he had a bright, creative spirit. Throughout my childhood, he was my arts and crafts companion. He’d use pencils, markers, oil pastels, paints, anything he could find to fill his sketchbooks. He was consistent and I admired that. Towards the end of his life, he and I really began sharing our passion for art despite the vast expanse of 3,000 miles that separated us. We mailed each other pieces almost weekly. It was a sweet time in my life that has crystalized into a core memory and source of inspiration to last me my lifetime.

I also owe a significant part of my journey to the unwavering love and support of my husband, Maxwell. From that very first painting I gifted him, he has been my constant source of encouragement to continue creating. Overtime, he upgraded my old, cheap acrylics to fine oil paints, replaced my repurposed makeup brushes with quality artist’s tools, surprised me with my dream easel, and so, so much more despite his limited resources at the time. I felt so unworthy of his generosity, but it absolutely served as a catalyst, propelling me to pursue my craft with my all. It feels like I hit the jackpot being with someone who so badly wants me to do what I love. I definitely don’t take that for granted.

Website: savannahmorgangallery.com

Instagram: savannahcmorgan

Image Credits
Portraits taken by Samantha Langer