Cultivate@Courtyard: Meet Mentor Maria Morgan

Cultivate@Courtyard is a brand new visual arts project for 16 – 25 year olds, offering the opportunity to be mentored by professional artist Maria Morgan to work towards producing an exhibition at The Courtyard and Old Mayor’s Parlour Gallery.

In our latest blog, we find out more about the Mentor coordinating the project.

Maria Morgan graduated from Birmingham School of Jewellery with a BA(Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing and a string of awards. Since 2000 Maria has established herself as a freelance Jeweller and Painter, exhibiting her work in a variety of galleries and showcased at several exhibitions. This together with numerous commissions, has produced a high demand for her work.

Having been bought up on a farm in Herefordshire Maria has always been inspired by her rural surroundings. Her paintings depict the Herefordshire countryside and the farm animals within it.

Maria’s jewellery often looks at the texture and movement in nature, using a combination of silver and gold, along with traditional jewellery-making techniques to create unique designs.

The farmhouse studio where Maria is based exhibits her eclectic mix of craft and art skills, with a jewellers bench on one side of the workshop and her paintings covering the walls.

She explains, “I love to be surrounded by creativity, whatever the discipline, it allows you to express yourself through shape, colour or form. This is why the Cultivate@Courtyard project is so exciting. Artists are not restricted to just one form of art, they are free to embark on a 3D masterpiece or create a highly detailed but tiny miniature, it’s up to them. I am looking forward to seeing what creations come through the doors at The Courtyard over the next couple of months.”

To find out more about the project and how to submit your work, go to courtyard.org.uk/visualarts