Stepping out and exploring with Morgaine Johnson
Paulyne Manzon
Queer Artist
Emerging artist Morgaine Johnson, uses mix-media to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities and creates awareness towards gender diversity with their caricature-like images. They are a queer non-binary artist residing in Mohkinstis/Calgary Alberta, and a 2021 graduate from Alberta University of the Arts.
We connected with Morgaine to learn more about how art has allowed them to explore their identity.
Pride In Business: How did you start your path as an artist?
Morgaine Johnson: My path has been very meandering — I've found that I lean into art in times of turmoil and in prosperity. So in that respect I've always followed my art path. From a young age I was putting pencil to paper or getting creative in some way. After high school I followed my creativity into a career of professional cooking and baking and did that for a while. And when I decided that it no longer served me, I knew that it had to be art for me and I enrolled at the Alberta University of the Arts.
PIB: Why is art important for you, and how does it help explore your identity?
MJ: Art is such an emotional outlet and vessel for expression and I think I would be a very different person if I didn't create. There's this part of us that inherently knows ourselves before our thinking brains do. I think art allows us as queer people to explore parts of us that we maybe didn't know were queer at the time — at least that's how it was for me.
PIB: What do you see when approaching your art? Do you have specific colours, styles, forms that you feel attracted to?
MJ: This is a complicated question for me because I feel like I do a lot of different things — I think when it comes to my painting, I see expression and colour at the forefront. In my portraiture I really love using traditional media, specifically gauche because I feel like there's an element of it that I can control and sometimes it gets away from me, and it creates these little moments that I couldn't create on purpose. The paint expresses. I love the challenge of painting drag queens specifically because they are a caricature in and of themselves, and how can I evoke that in an exaggerated way? I don't know that I'm where I want to be yet with my portraiture but I learn something new with every painting.
PIB: Which trends inspire your work?
MJ: Well, I would say that I have hopped on the RuPaul's Drag Race bandwagon wholly and encompassingly, and obviously that has influenced my work. But it was just the gateway for me to this whole sector of the queer community I'd never experienced before. I came out recently and my gender identity hadn't been something I'd thought about before dipping my toes into drag. I am very inspired by my queer peers and by the drag community, though I don't believe that itself is a trend. Some artists who inspire me: Lauren Tamaki, Joohee Yoon, duhrivative (Austin Call).
PIB: What are your next steps as an artist?
MJ: I'd like to branch out with my portraiture — paint some local talent from the drag scene. I'll be participating in one of the University District's Night Markets in July. I'll be doing plein air painting throughout the summers to keep my painting fresh and my skills sharp. Participating in my first show outside of university and participating in a market were two things I wanted to accomplish this year, so beyond that I'm open to the possibilities out there!
To experience Morgaine’s work and the work of other featured artists, get your tickets for the Pride In Art event on May 26, 2023 here.
If you want to see more of Morgaine Johnson’s work or to get in touch with her:
Website: morgainerae.ca
Instagram: @morgainerae
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Felipe Angel Jasso Perches
PIB — Manager, Pride In Art
Pride In Business article in partnership with TD.
By Felipe Angel Jasso Perches