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Nicola Morgan

biography

Nicola Morgan was born in Victoria, BC and now lives on Salt Spring Island. Primarily, she studied painting at Emily Carr CAD, Langara College and the Banff School of Fine Arts and has continued to seek professional development. 

She has exhibited in numerous shows over the last decade and been active in the arts community as an instructor and in arts administration and has published several books as writer/illustrator.


where to see or read more

shows: no shows currently. 

web: Visit Nicola's website for more pictures and info.
           Visit Nicola's Facebook page here.

publications: Once in a Blue Moon, writer/ illustrator, Oxford University Press. Toronto.
                             Louis and the Night Sky, writer/ illustrator, Oxford University Press, Toronto.
                             Temper Temper, writer/illustrator. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Toronto.
                             A Pride of Lions, writer/illustrator, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Toronto, Ontario.
                            The Great Alphabet Book of B.C. writer/illustrator, Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Toronto.

contact Nicola Morgan

phone: 604 803 0072
email: nickymorgan@shaw.ca

artist statement

  • I have been involved in a visual art practice consistently since graduating from Emily Carr 1982. My creative journey has taken me through many varied forms from writing and illustrating children’s books to teaching and most importantly a dedicated studio practice resulting in many exhibitions, both group and solo shows. 
  • ​My work is very much about process. I find the image secondary to the art making. Although my art is abstract in nature, there is an underlying visual order that gradually seems to emerge. Working intuitively, I submit to the trust of the unknown where there is more of a active following than any real choice. I seem to be forever altering and adjusting the framework of some invisible reality. It is constantly exciting and engaging and leaves me wanting to push further and deeper into the exploration.
  • I love to explore all elements of design. Line, value, texture and form all excite and inspire me. However I believe colour completes the information that we all need for better understanding of our everyday lives. Colour has been a complex study for me in my work. For perspective and clarity I often refer to the work of other artists. Both the meditative works of Mark Rothco as well as the systematic studies of Joseph Albers have provided endless insight. Despite their differences as artists, each man explored color fully and helped to expand upon my own understanding of color and my own creative process. When considering the use of colour in my own work I often look towards my everyday. Colour breathes life and meaning into my experiences and interactions and therefor must be considered an important factor in my expression.
Being a nonrepresentational painter affords me the freedom to take chances and try out new ideas with mostly unexpected results. Sometimes the magic happens and alternatively sometimes I am left in a state of discouraged confusion. Herein lies the beauty and struggle of being an artist. My goal is to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and attempt to translate this through the power and language of paint. 

​Nicola Morgan - painter
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