By: Desire’ Jackson – Crosby
Lines etched on simple, ripped-out-of-the-book sketch paper. Colors – pastel blue, hazy yellow, and earthy brown decorate some pages while heavy thick lines of defined color trace upon others. Simplicity sings a soft note of abstractness, telling a whimsical story that changes the more you look at it.
This is the work of Julia Morgan, titled “In/Transit”. For some reason, upon hearing the name of these pieces, I was taken to a much more figurative view of the art. I began the famous process of contemplation that comes with observing art. I thought to myself: “Maybe Julia created the messy strokes on the page when she was feeling cloudy and confused over a situation in her life”. I turned over instances and searched for situations inside the colors of the pages. Although art is open-ended, after reading the display bearing Julia’s explanation of her work, I was struck. Of In/Transit, she said “these paintings were made on buses and trains, in desert jeeps, taxis, rental cars, buses and carts across Egypt, India, Morocco and France using watercolor, pens, ink, and paint markers” I stood puzzled, but by then very intrigued.
I continued reading “Many made by walking over terrain closer to home in New Mexico, New England, and an island of the New Hampshire coast. Poising my pen or brush over the page as I ride or walk, I let the play between body, vehicle and terrain tell stories of place and time.” It was an idea I’ve never heard. The thought of letting the medium be the artist and the artist the instrument is such a truthful take on art. Every line or squiggle tells of a journey: the feel of a quaint and hilly road in France or the aftermath of movement on a gravel ridden road in Egypt. So many more hidden memoirs lie there for passersby to see. In/Transit makes hopeful travelers, artist, or even curious individuals imagine their very own transit in dreamy thought. Make your own tiny trek across beautiful terrains by visiting In/Transit, and experience distant lands through one of the most honest ways: art.
To see the art for yourself, visit:
The East Wing Gallery (located in the Raymond LaFontaine Fine Arts Center)
Open Mon. – Thurs. 8am – 8pm and Fri. 8am – 5pm
Closed for the Holidays of: Oct. 9th, Nov. 10th, 23rd, 24th, Dec. 25th, and Jan. 2018
*In/Transit will be up for display from Sept. 6th – Oct. 5th
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