Arts & Culture

Works by Morgan Welch & Donal Murphy in the “By Others” Gallery at Board & Vellum

A new show is launching at the By Others gallery! For January’s Capitol Hill Art Walk, we are hosting works by two artists: Morgan Welch (also a B&V’er) and Donal Murphy. Read their artist statements, here, ahead of the January 9th opening reception.

Fabiola Vargas

January 8, 2020

Happy New Year! We have a new show opening this week in the By Others gallery. For the next two months, we are showcasing two artists, Morgan Welch and Donal Murphy. We hope to see you for their opening, Thursday, January 9th, 2020 at the B&V Offices, from 6PM to 8PM.

To whet your appetite, read on below for statements from the artists, along with a sampling of their work.

Morgan Welch

Morgan Welch is an architect at Board & Vellum, working to maintain her fine art roots in an increasingly digital field. She uses pen and ink to explore light and shadow in high contrast, drawing landmarks from the many cities she’s called home. Her work has won local awards in Maryland, and was recently exhibited at an event during the Seattle Design Festival.

See more from Morgan Welch on Instagram (@inkandstructure), and at her Etsy store InkAndStructure, where her drawings are available for purchase.

Donal Murphy

This ongoing body of work is called An Alphabet.

The idea behind the pieces is that our environment is trying to communicate with us by presenting us with these shapes which we must try to interpret or decipher, I think of the appearance of the shapes as temporary, and in the titles, I sometimes refer to them as occurrences, as if witnessed by people.

It is a science fiction idea based on the notion that atoms and molecules and particles are always moving around, taking new forms, becoming one thing, disappearing, becoming another.

The making of these pieces involves photography, drawing of sculptures and then painting.

My motivation is to create compelling imagery, and maybe to try to create the same sense of awe you would get from seeing an alien spacecraft, or something like that. I think the movie Arrival influenced the making of these, not just because of the huge, odd shapes floating motionless in the sky, but also the theme of trying to communicate with, or interpret, alien characters in a foreign alphabet.

I intend to make a lot more of these and explore the possibilities, maybe actually make some sculpture, it has crossed my mind that I could make something lightweight, kite-like and suspend them in spaces and then photograph the scene. I also want to begin a series with people, where the shapes exist between people and become a metaphor for unspoken communication.

See more from Donal Murphy on his portfolio, and Instagram (@donalpiomurphy).