Ally Morgan Artist Biography

Ally Morgan is a contemporary western artist from Rockville, Maryland. In 2010 she received her BFA in painting from Salisbury University and in 2014 she received her MFA in drawing and painting from Arizona State University. Ally’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and was recently featured in the January 2025 issue of Western Art Collector. She currently teaches in higher education and privately.

Statement

The American Southwest has long captivated my imagination. In 2011, I relocated to Arizona to pursue my master’s degree, and during my time there, I immersed myself in the quiet beauty of the landscape. While many perceive the desert as a lonely, barren place, I have always viewed it as a space of profound meditation, beauty, and spirituality. Historically, prophets and visionaries have found enlightenment in the solitude of the desert, and I, too, have been drawn to its quiet power.

My work reflects the exploration of spiritual isolation, using solitary and small groups of figures, expansive flat spaces, and vibrant, bold colors. These figures are often surrounded by surreal elements that represent the bridge between the realms of the physical and the metaphysical — an expression of the tension between the tangible world and the spiritual one. Following the death of my father in 2020, I began incorporating teardrops into my paintings as a means of processing grief and expressing my emotional journey. In most of my works, this symbol persists. What once signified sorrow has since evolved into a symbol of spiritual peace and healing, capturing the transformation of grief into renewal.