Morgan O'Connell 

I have always been fascinated by the human connection to water—whether as playful distortions, a limited resource, or a mysterious balance between the known and unknown. Growing up on Massachusetts' south shore, I found solace in the changing landscapes of the woods and harbor.  As I pursued my dual degree in Art and Environmental Studies, my naïve awe for water transformed into respect and concern.  My paintings explore this tension of water expanding from a playground to a complex, dangerous, and threatened resource.  

I reference personal photographs taken from New England summers and family/friend visits in Hawaii and the Caribbean.  I approach painting water and distorting human figures by blending 3 - 5 layers of water-mixable oil paints, often with dry-brush techniques.  My work processes my own contradictory relationship with water, so the viewer should similarly leave my work conflicted on what is real versus abstract, fun versus dark, visible versus hidden.