q+a: hayley morrison

Tchotchke Gallery: What messages do you present in your paintings? What do you hope people receive from them?

Hayley Morrison: My paintings typically relate to my identity as a woman raised in a Mormon community near Salt Lake City, Utah. I take a critical eye toward inconsistencies, oppression, dogmatism, and mystical thinking in the examination of the values that I–and the six generations that came before me–were raised with. I hope that those that view my work come away with a feeling. Maybe that feeling is commiseration, discomfort, empathy, or confusion, but ultimately, I hope it catalyzes curiosity that allows them to examine their own connection to patriarchal systems. 

TG: Can you walk us through the path that led to where you are now as an artist? Was it always clear or, conversely, did you encounter many obstacles?

HM: I think it’s safe to say that I have always wanted to be an artist, but there have been plenty of obstacles along the way. I had hoped to continue working as a muralist and freelance artist after graduating in 2008 with my BFA, but economic times were tough and it quickly became unsustainable. I found a job at a Montessori school and worked there for a couple of years before beginning a corporate career in Chicago while my husband completed his schooling. I managed to create new work and hold a solo show in the spare time that I had in Chicago. When my husband finished his schooling we moved to Sydney, AU and I applied to the National Art School. I was accepted to their program, but financial needs dictated that I take a job that, unfortunately, left little time to make art. When my husband found a new role in Austin, I too found a new job and worked for two years before we felt financially stable enough for me to take the risk of leaving my career to pursue art full-time. In the past four years, I have experienced some exciting wins, but my ongoing battle with self-doubt and anxiety has proven to be just as formidable as the financial obstacles. I am still finding balance, but  I can honestly say that making and showing art these past four years has been the most fulfilling period of my life so far. 

TG: You earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from BYU Provo. How was this experience? What are the art program and community like at your alma mater?

HM: When I attended BYU it had the best painting program in the state, it was academically rigorous, and tuition was relatively affordable. Most of my professors were capable, intelligent, down-to-earth, and Mormon. I learned much about perspective, line, art criticism, color theory, and non-art subjects, but the presence of the church was felt in all aspects of my education and personal life. There were limits to what I was exposed to as an art student. Models in my figure drawing classes wore bathing suits, the art exhibitions in the campus galleries and museums were always wholesome–even my professors seemed to rein in personal opinions at times–and I didn’t see any professors or students making work that was critical or provocative in any way. Things were similar off-campus. Students are required to live in BYU-approved housing, which falls under BYU honor code jurisdiction, meaning: required regular church attendance, no members of the opposite sex over after midnight or in the bedrooms, no drugs, alcohol, etc. There wasn’t a lot of diversity at BYU, either, which I now regard as a deeply limiting factor. I’ve been told it has improved since my time there, but I think there is still a long way to go.

TG: How is the concept of womanhood reflected in your work? Thematically, is this something that you always keep in mind when painting?

HM: I’ve been trained to constantly be aware of my woman-ness and femme-ness. Careful lines were drawn for me. While I recognized the glass ceiling, I thought I needed to adapt to it, rather than overcome it. As I realized that wasn’t true, I felt my work becoming more connected to these subjects and to womanhood in general. The concepts of womanhood in my work tend to reflect a specific feeling or a moment and are often directly tied to my experiences as a girl and woman. Some are niche and specific to Mormonism, like being in the temple, wearing holy undergarments, or participating in church programming for girls and women. Others apply to women in general: the feeling of being gazed upon, underestimated, and dismissed. My color palettes lean into pink, white, and fleshy tones to convey the historical branding of women as ultra-femme, pure, and only good for our bodies. The textures are often iridescent, clean, and otherworldly to highlight the agreeable and attractive appearance expected of women. 

TG: How do your works generally evolve from start to finish? Is your process intuitive or do you tend to plan things out?

HM: I used to be more of an intuitive (and abstract!) painter, but now I carefully plan my pieces. It usually starts with a concept–something I observe–like a memory, an experience, a sudden existential realization, or a satirical joke. I gather reference material such as photographs, church publications, ephemera, stories from other Mormon women, etc., and compose a reference image in photoshop. I transfer a pencil drawing of the image to a prepared (gessoed and sanded) surface and delineate shapes and lines with a layer of acrylic paint. Many layers of oil paint follow, from blocks of color to the tiniest lines, until it reaches a point where I feel like I could do more, but I don’t need to–otherwise, I would never stop!

TG: What does your ideal studio day look like? 

HM: I like a nice slow morning where I have a hot shower, a big breakfast, and some caffeine and play with my dog, then get into the studio around noon. I typically work in my studio in the afternoon and at night. I spend endless hours on my more detailed pieces, so I binge music, TV shows, movies, and podcasts. It’s not very cerebral stuff, so I can easily split my focus. I’m always asking people what they are watching or listening to, as I constantly need new things! Sometimes I only work a few hours in my studio, other times I work 24 hours straight. Ideally, I will paint 6-8 hours a day though, and often rotate additional time and focus between researching and gathering reference material, marketing my work, filling out applications, and running programming for concept animals.