By Sarah Kuper
Growing up, Jayne Morgan was enthusiastic about two things: art and honey bears.
“We just always had a honey bear at the table for bread and dessert,” she said. “They remind me of a wonderful childhood.”
Now, she is known in the art world for her oil and acrylic paintings of the plastic bears and other similar subject matter.
She’s even got collectors.
“I have regulars who come to the show looking for this year’s Jayne Morgan honey bear,” she said.
Morgan, a Hoover High graduate, is just one of the 145 artists who will be showing and selling their work at the 53rd annual Bluff Park Art Show on Oct. 1.
Originally from Birmingham, Morgan moved back home after completing her education at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
She wasn’t sure where to live after being away from the area but she got some good advice from her dad.
“He said I absolutely had to live in Bluff Park because of the art community there,” she said. “I had no idea and a lot of people still don’t. That’s why I’m such a big proponent.”
In fact, Morgan is the Bluff Park Art Association’s artist ambassador. She has her studio in the Artists on the Bluff building on Park Avenue, and she represents the community and helps with the art show.
Morgan has been showing at the event for several years but she’s been attending since she was a child.
“My favorite used to be seeing the folk artists perform,” she said. “I always wanted to do art shows but I can’t believe it has become my career. I’m able to pay my mortgage through art.”
She said she gives a lot of credit to the Bluff Park community and the art show.
As an adult artist, Morgan enjoys the art show not just because of the opportunity to showcase her work to a new audience, but also because it is a chance to see new work from her peers.
“There are the regulars who show, both from Bluff Park and all over, that I enjoy seeing. Plus, I run into former art teachers,” she said.
Morgan is excited to see the art show grow every year. There will be 38 new artists at this year’s event.
Many of the participants are local to the Over the Mountain area, but there also are artists coming from all over the nation to show their work.
Plus, the free one-day show includes food trucks, music and kids’ activities.
Morgan will be showing everything from $5 magnets to a $5,000, 10-foot honey bear painting.
When she isn’t painting or teaching classes at Artists on the Bluff, Morgan is working at the Exceptional Foundation, teaching art to special needs adults.
But recently, Morgan has had to change her schedule to allow for more painting time.
“One of the actors from the HBO show ‘Silicon Valley’ bought one of my paintings and posted about it on Instagram. Now it is ‘honey bear madness’ trying to keep up with orders.”
The Bluff Park Art Show is Oct. 1 in front of the Bluff Park Community Center. Admission is free.
For more information on the event and other initiatives of the Bluff Park Art Association, visit bluffparkartassociation.org.
