ART | Commissioning art with Erin Morgan
COMMISSIONING ART WITH ERIN MORGAN
“A lot of the ideas that I have tend to float around in my head until the right moment comes along to explore it further.”
Commissioning an artwork treads a fine line between dictating an artist’s creativity and giving a degree of guidance to create something that both you and the artist are proud of. A commission is a request of an artist to create a piece specifically for you. It might be that we are finding your favourite artists are always sold out (I have other ways to get around this, stay tuned!) or perhaps you love an artwork of an artist but you are wanting something slightly different. It’s an artists prerogative to choose if they want to take commissions or not depending if it feels right to their creative process. I’ve recently had the pleasure of working with textile artist, Erin Morgan to create three MARG-NIFICENT artworks for an upcoming photoshoot (and my own collection!).
Erin has a really unique combination of traditional art techniques overlaid with her love and fascination of textiles. To understand more about what motivates Erin’s art we had a chat about her inspiration and process.
How would you describe your path to becoming an artist?
A slow burn. It started with my Fine art degree at COFA which was filled with crazy enthusiasm and lots of late nights creating magic. This was followed by almost 10 years (wow I'm feeling old saying that) of ambiguity and really not giving myself the time to create finished work which I know we've discussed before is a trap for not feeling like an authentic artist. It wasn't until quite recently during lockdown here in Sydney that I truly felt like a practicing artist. I suddenly had a LOT of time on my hands and I was determined to use it wisely and it really paid off. It has thrusted me into a new momentum of productivity and engagement and I am so excited for the future.
Erin has a unique style of painting combined with her love of textiles (raffia, silk and so many scraps of fabric).
What inspires you?
How can I say everything without sounding completely cliché? The list is really long but in a summarised version I would say:
landscapes, in particular the flat, earthy Australian landscapes.
Flowers, gardens and tropical oasis.
Couture fashion and runways like Valentino and Dior with their exquisite use of traditional textile techniques but really any extravagant garments with organza, silk, sequins and volume.
Eclectic interiors and beautiful artisan homewares that really are an artform.
Fellow artists have a huge influence as we practically have access to a live portfolio via Instagram these days.
And of course, the vast history of traditional textiles and the way they have evolved as we have, never ending inspiration there.
Sampling phase
Can you describe your art process from the idea to completion?
My most successful work over the years has definitely come from deadlines. Having even the smallest brief and a finish line works wonders. A lot of the ideas that I have tend to float around in my head until the right moment comes along to explore it further. For example, the series I've been working on for our recent collaboration was a combination of a few ideas and this was the perfect time to bring them all together.
1 | RESEARCH - The longest part of my making process is definitely the research. Finding links between ideas and then following them down a rabbit hole of images, text and sometimes YouTube videos.
2 | SAMPLING - Then comes the sampling phase which is basically a smaller practice round for any material or technique ideas I have. It is incredibly inspiring and very messy, but the outcomes are always surprising, some great and some not so great. I'll often start the final piece simultaneously with the sampling purely to save on time but also combining the two helps visualise a final product.
3 | THE FINAL PRODUCT - The final touches are always the hardest, looking at an artwork and deciding it’s complete almost never happens, I just have to step back and let go.
“Looking at an artwork and deciding it’s complete almost never happens, I just have to step back and let go.”
We have recently been talking about Love Tokens which you have been exploring for some upcoming work. Can you please tell me a bit more about them?
Yes! The beautiful, intricate Love Tokens of the 18th and 19th centuries have a long history dating back in various forms through to pagan times with Romans sending tokens of affection to loved ones or friends around mid-February (much like our Valentine Day cards). The American Folk Art Love Tokens are of the most interest to me with their Fraktur style decoration and complex puzzle like nature. They are scribed with poetry describing their makers affections and illustrated with imagery reflecting the time. Smiling suns, flowers, hearts and cupid to name a few of the symbols used to convey their feelings in the over the top romantic style.
My attraction to this handmade style came from my interest in traditional folk art. The use of recognisable figures to decorate traditionally utilitarian objects was a way lower class groups could afford to decorate their homes, and this resulted in some of the most refined artisan techniques we see today, particularly in textiles. My initial samples have been a combination of contemporary images and traditional textile embroidery in a simplified silk format. I am loving the transition of a decorative style to an installation format.
Love Token for Sarah Newlin from the American Folk Art Museum
Can you talk to me about commissions? To what degree are you open to being guided or influenced in your work?
It works really well in the format that you sent through. A rough space/size, mood board pics or pics of work they like of mine and a bit of a vibe their looking for.
To give you an idea, in the lead up to a photoshoot of my Paddo Pad project I was a bit stumped by two large walls I had in the very small apartment. I didn’t want to just “fill” the walls with something generic but I knew the size of the works required was quite large. For one of the walls Erin and I had a phone conversation that went something like
“Erin, I absolutely the colour ways and stories you’ve been exploring lately. Any chance you have something that is max Xcm x Xcm or 3 works that make up this size? … no I don’t Em but I can create something for you?”.
I had no idea the exact look of the artworks apart from the size, colours and rough stories as I think it’s my responsibility to leave room for the magic to happen. The result has blown me away and I haven’t even seen them in person yet! We are heading to Sydney for the photoshoot this week so stay tuned to my instagram stories for sneak peaks.
Sneak peak of the progress for the Paddo Pad artwork.
Where to next for you?
I'm really excited to see what the future holds, which doesn't sound like something I should be saying in 2020. I have a few commission pieces I am starting, some painting, raffia weaving and textile collage on the way. I'm hoping to continue with my current momentum and just keep expanding my ideas. Textile art involves a lot of off cuts and it is sacrilege of course to throw any away so I've wanted for a long time to do a body of work using just my baskets upon baskets of hand dyed silks and linen scraps. I can see it working quite nicely in combination with my love of still life painting and folk art collage. Stay tuned!!
By engaging with an artist’s inspiration, process and ideas it helps us build a collection of art that tells a story. This connection will ensure we appreciate this artwork for years to come, creating a timeless collection. Thank you Erin for having a chat with me and more than anything creating the fabulous artworks. Watch Erin’s progress on her instagram or on her website.
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