Holding the Deep I

This work explores depth, atmosphere and the shifting movement of sea and sky.

Created on raw (unprimed) canvas with acrylic and oil stick, the piece embraces fluidity, softness and layered tonal variation. Areas of the natural canvas remain visible, adding warmth and balance to the composition.

Guided by intuition and process, the work allows spills, gestures and subtle textures to emerge organically, evoking the feeling of looking into deep water or distant space.

Inspired by the calming and expansive qualities of the ocean, the piece is intended to bring a sense of stillness, depth and quiet reflection into a room.

Sealed with a matte medium to protect the surface while maintaining its natural, raw finish.

This work is part of a complementary pair and can be styled alongside a second piece.

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Josephine Morgan is an abstract artist based in Yeppoon, Queensland, working with raw canvas, acrylic paint and oil sticks. Her practice explores intuitive, atmospheric land and seascapes, often in a restrained monochrome palette.
Her work is a search for beauty and the sublime. It is an attempt to create the feeling of a view, while also holding something more human and emotional. Through layered mark making, she responds to feeling, process and chance. The movement of paint, spills and gestures guides the work as much as intention. Subtle references to sea, sky, mountains and shifting landscapes emerge, inviting quiet interpretation.
Deeply influenced by a life lived near the coast, Morgan draws on the calming, expansive and reflective qualities of the ocean. The sea becomes both subject and metaphor, a place of stillness, energy and perspective.
With a background in graphic design, interiors and art education, her work balances sensitivity to composition with an intuitive, expressive approach. She often begins in a state of calm or meditation, seeking to carry a sense of peace and intention into each piece.
Morgan’s paintings are created to bring a sense of calm, wonder and connection into a space. They offer a moment to pause, reflect, and experience something both familiar and infinite.