Escape
Repurposed copyrighted photograph by Jackson Frishman, mixed media on board, bird object, and birds from postage stamps
(18" x 24" board)
Escape
Repurposed copyrighted photograph by Jackson Frishman, mixed media on board, bird object, and birds from postage stamps
(18" x 24" board)
Marie Morgan
Daisy the Armadillo (Dasypodidae)
Acrylic, upholstery fabric and fur on base materials
(8" x 8" x 17" + tail)
$900
Gracie the Grasshopper
Acrylic paint, bamboo, canvas, carpet tacks, dress fabric, genuine fake eyelashes, gesso, rubber, Styrofoam, taxidermy foam, wire, wooden beads
(26" x 32" x 28"H)
$1600
Grasshoppers come in two color palettes, bright and plain. Gracie is wearing her finest bright colors, because her coloring helps warn off predators that might be tempted to eat her. Her gown originated as a dress that was worn to the Occidental College graduation of 1992, where Maya Angelou was the commencement speaker. The wooden beads at Gracie’s mouth are her “knife and fork,” helping her eat her food.
Front
Back
Detail
Coat of Mail
Cancelled postage stamps on cotton fabric
(18" x 12" x 56"H)
$2500
"I envisioned my first sculpture, Coat of Mail, in 2005 and began collecting cancelled stamps for it. I found an original Nehru jacket pattern online, but did not begin assembling the work until 2016, when I finally moved into a studio large enough to lay out all the stamps from a dozen shoe boxes. Over two years I planned, assembled, and sewed the stamps in place."
Alice the Atlantic Puffin (Alcidae)
Repurposed designer fabric, rabbit fur, mixed media
(14" x 8" x 14" H)
$800
Raquel the Raven
Repurposed designer fabric, cholla cactus, acrylic
(22" x 15" x 14" H)
$700
Tess the Tapir (SOLD)
Acrylic paint, buttons, gesso, leather, mink, synthetic pearl, taxidermy foam, tea bags, upholstery fabric, wood
(18" x 24" x 12"H)
These creatures are an endangered species, with only between 3000-4500 remaining in the world. As babies, such as Tess, they have a camouflage coat to help them remain safe from predators in the dappled forest light. Adults can be solid brown or black & white, and can reach 720 pounds. They are threatened by habitat destruction and poachers. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/79625/14-terrific-facts-about-tapirs
Tess is wearing a pearl earring (thank you Vermeer), and she only wears it and her mink collar on special occasions. She has to order special fancy boots, because she has 3 toes on her back feet, and 4 toes in front.
Emmie the Hedgehog (Hemiechinus)
Repurposed designer sweater, repurposed rabbit fur scraps, silver
(6" x 7" x 7")
$300
Philicia the Pangolin and Pippy (SOLD)
Acrylic paint, gesso, silk, taxidermy foam
(16" x 5" x 7"H)
These endangered, solitary, primarily nocturnal animals are easily recognized in the wild by their full armor of scales, but Philicia and her baby are wearing dress silk. Pippy’s outfit is actually her mother’s fabric, reversed.
Creating personable sculptures of endangered and familiar creatures
Artist Information
Calvin once said to Hobbes,
“As my artist’s statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.”
Artist Statement
What do we mean by “personality”? Where does it come from? The eye of the beholder? Perhaps. But, like the novelist, the sculptor can offer certain cues and clues. Creating personality from a cluster of discarded materials requires that, as I build, I identify with her, and listen for who she wants to become. What is her story? I call it imaginative empathy.
Artist Bio
Born in Glendale, CA, Marie grew up in Berkeley, earning a B.A. in History at U.C. Berkeley. Her doctoral studies were in spirituality and psychology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. Her mentor in sculpture is Geoffrey Gorman. She lives in Santa Fe with her husband and a Cream Golden Retriever, Maddie -- possibly the only Golden without her own Instagram account.
Previous career: Author and Management Consultant. Inspiration source: Duane Hanson.
At a Duane Hanson exhibit at a New York museum, I once surreptitiously froze mime-like next to one of Hanson's life-size "human" sculptures. When an up-close admirer started raving to her husband about how amazingly Hanson had shaped my hair, I winked at her.
She screamed.