Bruin creates space for herself, Black women through fine art
In addition to her portraits, Morris said she also created pieces like graphic novels, logos and vignettes for nonprofits including the National Black Women’s Justice Institute. (Courtesy of Ebony Morris) Ebony Morris paints a picture of her life through the eyes of a Black woman.
The third-year studio art student said her background and culture inspire her to create vibrant portraits depicting women of color. Morris said she takes commissions on her Instagram page and is working on creating an official website for her work. Painting through the lens of a Black woman, Morris said she hopes people of color can relate to her art.
“(My art is) something people can relate to … something people can see themselves in,” Morris said. “I started creating work because I couldn’t see myself in certain spaces.”
As a child, Morris said her mother inspired her to start painting and sketching. Creativity was always a part of her life because her mother always had a bucket of art supplies that she could use whenever she wanted, Morris said. Along with her mother, Morris said her hometown of Oakland, California, encouraged her to study fine art, since Oakland was filled with people creating murals, paintings and abstract pieces.
In congruence with activism, Morris said she wants to create art that is relatable to people of color. When studying Western art in high school, she said she wasn’t able to see herself in portraiture. Morris said she wants to create art where she can see herself and her Black culture represented by using herself and her influences, such as family and friends, as muses for her portraits.
“Growing up looking at portraiture, they (were) masterpieces,” Morris said. “But what does it mean if nobody that looks like me is represented, or I can’t identify with any of the cultures that are represented?”
Throughout high school, Morris said she had an interest in art history, but she did not fully practice fine art until she was accepted to UCLA. Morris considered switching out of the art department, but she said finally accepting her calling for fine art and realizing a potential career in the field was one of the defining moments in her creative journey.
The intersections between art and social justice also influenced Morris’ artistic evolution, she said. Gaining experience in freelance art and activism, Morris said she works with nonprofit organizations that provide resources and funding to marginalized communities and Black women as well as support their higher education pursuits. Morris worked with the National Crittenton Foundation, based in Portland, Oregon, where she said she put together a graphic novel and the logo for the nonprofit, in addition to vignettes for the National Black Women’s Justice Institute. — Ashvika Sharma, Nov. 1, 2021
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Daily Bruin website.
HEADER IMAGE: Third-year studio art student Ebony Morris primarily paints portraits, specifically of women subjects of color, to express herself and connect with those around her. (Courtesy of Ebony Morris)
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