Deer Friends,
(I’m sorry, I can never resist a pun)
Welcome to the new website and the very first Deer Morgan newsletter. I’m so happy to have you here! I suppose the best way to start this out is to give you a little idea of what’s to come. The weekly newsletter will feature a new print each week, plus a little backstory– what inspired it, why I made it, how I made it, you get the point. Eventually I’d love to collaborate with other artists on featured prints and other creative goods, treating this site as a sort of creative hub, where we can foster a creative community and lift up artists of different media and backgrounds. But for now, you’re just stuck with me ;-)
Here’s the latest print:
A Composition (of Decomposition)
Oil on Canvas, 2020
This is an older painting (March of 2020 stuck at home for weeks kind of old). It was a reflection on the events of 2020.
I painted this during the first two weeks of quarantine, when my outlook was wildly optimistic and I secretly welcomed a break from busyness and life as I knew it. I let myself slow down and I painted for two weeks. I wrote a reflection to go along with the painting; an explanation of sorts, of how I was feeling at the time. The background was yellow then and there was something about the piece that felt off to me but I couldn’t place it. Then in December, 9 months later, I painted the background black. And it felt right. It took on new meaning as the predicted 2 weeks of quarantine creeped into 9 months. And despite it all, I think there’s still something to be said about the beauty of decomposition.
A reflection from March 2020:
I've been thinking a lot about what is happening in the world right now. How lately it feels like everything is falling apart, breaking down. Plans for the future have been halted, altered, or disregarded entirely. And with not much to distract ourselves, this thought can be overwhelming. But things falling apart isn't an entirely negative concept. Decomposition is crucial for new growth. So I'm looking ahead, and it's tough now, but I know that once this is over we'll all be a little tougher as well. So here's a piece of what looks like a pile of old produce, and yeah, it is. But it's also a reminder of the beauty in decomposition and what it signifies for the times ahead. New growth.
Current musings:
Despite the original painting being completed in 2023, releasing this print as the first “new print” of Deer Morgan felt like the best way to introduce this new era, for lack of a better term. I painted it during a time of massive (literally global) uncertainty, and I’m now in a new time of personal uncertainty. Unsure what this next step will bring. Since graduation college in the Spring of 2021 I’ve been quite the jack of all trades in a job sense. I led marketing and communication for a program at my University, was a bartender at an Italian restaurant, a production designer working in media tech/publishing, a graphic designer working in the food packaging space, and throughout it all I’ve had Deer Morgan. But always as a small side project.
As I’ve changed over the years, Deer Morgan has changed with me. When I was 13 Deer Morgan was born as the outlet for my passion for conceptual photography. After that, it became my embroidery business. Then a couple years ago I started printing and selling drawings and digital art through Instagram, small boutiques, and craft fairs. Earlier this year I then started selling those prints online, creating more as I went. And I love it. I always have. Sharing my art, in all different forms of media, is something that feels so innately true to myself. So this Spring I decided I wanted to commit to it fully. To see what could happen. I started working on this website, creating new art for upcoming print releases, and learning about the logistics that go into running a business. I got Deer Morgan Design registered as an LLC, opened a business bank account, wrestled with sales tax (because who knew it was all this complicated??), and have poured over the details of it all for months.
I’m a perfectionist to a fault and will always find something that needs improving, tweaking, fixing. Fear of failure, making mistakes, embarrassing myself— it can feel somewhat suffocating. And I’m not one to be very public about emotions or fears, but I want to step into this next chapter with full authenticity. Because Deer Morgan isn’t just a project. It’s a huge piece of who I am. And while these fears feel inordinate, I know that if I don’t take the leap off the cliff, then at some point I’m going to get pushed off anyway. So I might as well just go for it. Here’s to a new chapter, the excitement it brings me to share my passion with others, the mistakes I will inevitably make, and the grace i’m giving myself through it all. I’m so happy to be here.
On to the next…
On a lighter note, I’ll also be sharing a roundup of inspiration each week. Art, decor, colors, and photos I’m loving. If you’re part of this newsletter there’s a good chance we have very similar taste, so hopefully you’ll find as much joy and inspiration in the roundups as I do! All these photos are gathered from Pinterest, so clicking on any one of them will take you right to the original pin. Feel free to share or save them on there!
This week’s inspo:
Another segment of the newsletter will be a weekly art feature! Some weeks it will be an artist highlight, and other times a printing technique, art diy, or a form of art practice that I’m loving! My main goal with this newsletter will be building a community, so as far as artist highlights go, I want to mainly showcase other small artists spanning media and techniques (Ceramics! Painting! Photography!). So if you are an artist, know an artist, come across a piece you want to share, or just want to chat about art, decor, or really anything else, I would love nothing more than to hear from you! You can DM me on instagram at @deermorgan.design or shoot me an email at morgan@deermorgan.com.
This week I’m highlighting:
Mission Gràfica Screen Printing
at Mission Cultural Center for Latinx Arts in SF’s Mission District
Back in February a friend invited me to take a screen printing class with her at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco. I had never tried screen printing before, but have yet to find an art medium that I don’t like so I excitedly signed up. The class is taught by Calixto Robles, a painter, printmaker, and ceramic sculpture who creates art around topics mainly relating to social justice and climate change (find his work here). The class was pretty free form and there were usually only a few of us there, but it was the perfect way to soak up a ton of new printmaking information quickly. It’s fun, it’s messy, and it’s community oriented, particularly for the Latinx community in SF. As an artist with strong Cuban heritage but shallow roots, finding ways to become more involved in the Latinx community is something I’ve been more and more drawn to in recent years. Particularly when it comes to art. Mission Gràfica’s Screen Printing class is led by Calixto every Tuesday from 6-8pm and is open to everyone. If you’re in the Bay Area I highly recommend checking it out here.
I can’t wait to grow this community with you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here.
Until next week,
Morgan