ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Pill bottles are everyday objects that can be very emotionally charged. A lot of stigma surrounds taking daily medication for any reason, but especially when it comes to medication for mental health. Some people take medication only as needed, for minor aches and pains. Other people take 4 or more daily medications to make sure they are able to live like anyone else would. I find myself in the latter category. There is a societal negativity surrounding pills of any kind due to the very real opioid epidemic. Considering this reality, I found myself and my subject matter poised between two extremes at all times - mental normalcy to neuroticism, balanced health to raging addiction. Exploring these extremes has brought me a better understanding of myself and my experience as a chronically mentally ill individual living in the United States. I have chosen to explore these themes on canvas by using strong, visible brush application, vibrant color, and rigid shape analysis. Combining these stylistic choices results in a bold, dynamic, and energetic body of work that conveys emotion in a very candid way.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Morgan Prosser is a visual artist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She has been honing her technical skills as well as bringing ideas of home, mental health, and feminine identity to fruition through still life paintings since she graduated with a degree in Fine Art from Drury University in 2020. As a mentally ill woman, Morgan largely uses painting as an outlet to express emotions that she experiences in every day life, executing each still life in such a way that depicts inner feelings about how she views the world around her. Morgan’s current body of work largely reflects depictions of the mundane, transforming every day items into vessels of expression. Objects are conveyed loosely through drawing, but more significantly through color, shape, and paint application. By pulling from her influences of early modern painters such as the German Expressionists, Morgan colorfully creates scenes that are a play on real life but exist in a world that sits somewhere between reality and her own emotional fantasy. "Medication/Meditation" is a continuing exploration of painting pill bottles. Morgan sets up each arrangement by shining a large work-light on the pill bottles to create drastic shadow and bold highlights. This has resulted in an emotionally charged body of work that Morgan has kept coming back to since 2021.
