Andrea Morgan has had her hands in the dirt and head in the clouds her whole life. She’s worked with the land as a tree planter, commercial farmer and does stream restoration in her home in Montana. In her art, everything comes back to the land and the people that call it home.
In November, her new exhibition, titled Way Out Western,will open at Cassens Fine Art in Hamilton, Montana. The exhibition pokes fun at some of the ridiculous aspects and characters in Western culture, but also explores the question: What does it mean to be Western?
Range Rider, acrylic and mixed media on birch panel, 36 x 36 in.
“It all comes down to connection with the land for me,” says Morgan. “I don’t really know what it means to be Western, except it’s a focus on the land—I have a connection to the land that is seasonal and cyclical and super important. I think living where I live, you have to pay attention to the land and the clouds and the sky and the weather and the animals.”
In this exhibition, the artist focuses on characters and people that are in communication with the land. Inspired by wild characters and her community, Morgan comes up with backstories for each of her paintings, letting her imagination roam free alongside her brush.
Bubblegum Buckaroo, acrylic and mixed media on birch panel, 30 x 30 in.
“I am inspired by the history of the West, going back beyond colonial settlement and back into time with Indigenous people who are still here, of course. I started painting this show with this ridiculous, screaming, bubblegum-pink background and made this guy,” Morgan says, referring to her painting Bubblegum Buckaroo, which depicts a figure in a comically large cowboy hat.
All the figures in the exhibition are people of color who represent the communities that have belonged to the land for generations. Her work honors the people the figures represent while simultaneously calling out some of the clichés in the genre.
“It’s a little contemporary. The bubblegum guy, he’s wearing a tweed jacket— I don’t know why, but he is. It’s just kind of poking fun or throwing elements in that you wouldn’t expect. A little element of surprise,” says Morgan.
Throughout her work, she draws on contemporary artists for inspiration. In the painting Range Rider, the clouds in the background are a nod to Georgia O’Keeffe. The painting also features a magpie on the brim of the rancher’s hat—another subtle joke, as she says it begs the question: Who is the real range rider, the man or the bird?
RancHER In Turquoise, acrylic and mixed media on birch panel, 30 x 30 in.
Morgan paints without a plan. Starting with a limited palette of colors, she allows the colors and concepts to evolve and shift—her mind constructing a narrative for the figure that emerges along the way. While unplanned, she weaves hidden meaning into some of her works.
The painting RancHER in Turquoise is part of a larger series dedicated to highlighting the often overlooked work of ranch women. In this painting and others in the series, there are coordinates written on the work, visible only when viewed up close.
“[The coordinates] reference two national monuments in Utah that are being shrunk and exploited for uranium…but if you’re looking at this, you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I think maybe subconsciously some of that info is getting out there,” Morgan explains.
He’d Really Rather Be Fishing, acrylic and mixed media on birch panel, 36 x 36 in.
Laced with humor and meaning, blending traditional Western subjects with a contemporary approach, Morgan’s work invites the viewer to laugh, reflect on the land and ask the question: What does it mean to be Western?
Way Out Western will open November 6, with a reception held from 5 to 7 p.m., and run until November 21 at Cassens Fine Art in Montana. —
Cassens Fine Art 215 W. Main Street » Hamilton, MT 59840 » (406) 363-4112 » www.cassensfineart.com
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