Plus Gallery

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

From the Press Release

Plus Gallery is pleased to present the return of one of Denver's most gifted painters, artist Jenny Morgan. This exhibition marks the homecoming arrival of Morgan after the completion of her MFA from New York’s School of the Visual Arts. Three years since her last solo exhibition at Plus, Morgan returns to Denver to illustrate her development and maturity as one of Plus Gallery’s most imminent artists.

“This Too Shall Pass” is a collection of portraits depicting Denver artists and residents, all known to Morgan on a personal level. Individuality and the divergence from the universal characteristics of figurative representation are prominent motifs in this recent progression of work, a remarkable transformation from the signature elements Morgan employed in her paintings while still in Denver. An indefinite range of the personal character of each model is displayed in the delicate and thoughtful mannerisms in the new works. The intimacy of these portraits between artist and model is attributed to the personal relationships Morgan holds with each, continuing a chosen direction Morgan has been pursuing since shifting her focus away from the self as model. In using her Denver-based friends and peers, Morgan reflects on the expense of moving to expand as an individual while simultaneously implying the deep roots she as an artist has within the community from which she originated.

Morgan’s vivid realistic paintings utilize traditional methods of oil on canvas while incorporating new and innovative techniques. “Deconstructing the Figure,” as termed by Morgan, involves a process of coming to completion with the painting then gradually excavating the surface to disclose partial areas of the bright red under-painting. The result is a brilliantly rendered portrait that is worked on continually so to deepen the painting rather than to rework or revise. The contrast of technically brilliant flesh and figurative tones with the ripped-from-the-surface feeling of the under-painting imbues each canvas with a vibrancy that suggests an astounding degree of confidence. Morgan posits her long-term understanding of the person with momentary reflections that interpret the self on a deeper level than is commonly seen in portraiture. These are not easy paintings to consider, yet fully brave in their intent and trajectory within Morgan's ever-rising career.

Subsequent to being accepted in the Outwin Boochever 2006 Portraiture Competition, National Gallery, Washington D.C., and receiving the recognition of Top Representational Artist from the Rocky Mountain News that same year, Morgan moved to New York City where she graduated with an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Currently living in New York, Morgan recently presented her first solo exhibition on the east coast titled “Abrasions” at Like the Spice Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. Morgan is an artist assistant for internationally acclaimed painter Marilyn Minter.