Meet Morgan Boszilkov: Artist, Designer, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Morgan Boszilkov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgan, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
Growing up, I was told that art is hobby, not a profession. When I was 14, I went to a career counselor, because I was worried about what I would be when I grew up. They gave me tests and said, “You can do anything, what do you want to be?” I wanted to be a fashion designer! Because that didn’t seem like a real option, I ended up with a business degree with a concentration in accounting. While having an accounting degree gave me the ability to support myself while working on my art and design career, I believe I would have gone farther and faster and would have been able to support myself if I had focused on my passions. There are so many ways to make money in the arts and the surrounding industry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a self-taught artist using clay, fabric, paint and other materials to create two-dimensional and sculptural vibrant works of art. I have invented a unique form of fine art! Ceramics sewn onto fabric-wrapped or painted canvas with embroidery and beading. My work captures the beauty and richness of the natural world amidst our changing climate, reflecting my core values of conservation and sustainability. My “ceramics on canvas work” is a new technique of combining mediums. It was born out of necessity to hang my art on the walls of a gallery. Free standing sculpture was not an option, so I formed holes in my ceramic pieces and attached them to the canvas, making my sculpture hangable. These are framable, hangable, traditional fine art, but also ceramic sculpture, fiber art, and free hand embroidery and beading. Most of my fabrics are repurposed from my wedding dress design years ago or new organic or sustainable fabrics. When I was asked to create work for the solo show in Serenbe, it was just before my last cancer surgery, so I found myself with so much pent up creative energy, but unable to leave my bed yet. I started my work for the show embroidering and beading. Then I added my ceramics. As I healed and headed back into my studio, the ceramics became more dominant in my work. I sculpt clay into natural forms like flowers and leaves. I also makes ceramic “quilt” triangles, glazing each as if it were a miniature painting and integrating them into the sculptures. These triangles frame, flow through, emphasize, anchor and transition into the organic shapes. I then works intuitively to arrange, connect and harmonize the sculptural elements and textures with beading and embroidery on sustainable fabrics. I experiment with the concept of wabi-sabi and beauty in imperfection, exploring various materials and always experimenting with new techniques. One recent evolution of her sewn ceramics is sculpting with wire and ceramics to bring the flowers and leaves off the canvas, and woven into organic shapes to be hung on either an indoor or outdoor wall. I have so many interests and ideas. There are days when I feel worried I might not have enough time to get all my creativity out, especially between making lunches, helping with school work, and driving the kids places. Every other week it seems I am trying something new and combining it with my current media and techniques. Last week I started carving linoleum stamps for block printing. Before that, I started using clothing pattern paper in collages with acrylic as the background for my ceramic flowers and leaves. I’m also working on a large portrait in oils that I’ll combine with my block printing and ceramics sewn onto the canvas. I started my art and design career with a successful line of eco-friendly wedding gowns, Natural Bridal Collection by Morgan Boszilkov. My sustainable gown designs were featured in Brides Magazine, Skirt!, CNN, OneWed, and Style Me Pretty, and I even designed a dress for Melissa Rivers, during TLC’s “Who are you wearing?” design challenge, and won the competition. My current ceramic work featuring handmade tiles has been highlighted in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and HGTV. You can see my most recent public art installation in Serenbe, a memorial tile mosaic celebrating the life of Shelton Stanfill.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you have a free weekend I would visit Serenbe, just south of Atlanta. Stay at the Inn and take a morning walk by the animals in the farmyard on your way to the Blue Eyed Daisy for coffee. On this walk, you might take a meditative stroll through the Charte Cathedral-inspired labyrinth and then over the hill through the wild flower meadow where there are sculptures and fields of flowers. After getting your coffee and grits (they have delicious grits!) at the Daisy, stop by the Chatt Hills Gallery, an artist co-op and treat yourself with some art while supporting local artists. If it’s Saturday in the spring, summer or fall, stop by the farmer’s market in Selborne. There are delicious treats and handmade goods there. I especially love the organic veggies. Up the hill is Hamlin and Typo where you can pick up some gifts to bring home to family and friends. Get the Brussel sprout tacos for lunch at Halsa before visiting Creek Retreat for a facial or another rejuvenating treatment. I hope you brought your trail shoes, because the waterfall is not far from this part of the Mado hamlet in Serenbe! At the end of Mado is a trail that residents and inn guests can use, and there is a beautiful waterfall down the hill. Just because you are an adult doesn’t mean you can’t play! There is an in-ground trampoline at the green in the Grange hamlet, so go to the General store, grab a King of Pops popsicle and jump on the trampoline when you’re done. You can schedule a horse trail ride or just grab some wine at the Wine Shop and a pizza from the Hill Restaurant and picnic on the bench in front of my tile mural installation on the corner. On your way out of town, schedule a studio and gallery visit with Gail Foster and Tom Swanston in Chattahoochee Hills. They are the most wonderful people and fabulous artists! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
After moving back from Japan, I knew I wanted to design eco-friendly wedding gowns. My mother supported me as I worked hard to create a business plan and my first collection. She is my biggest cheerleader and supporter. My wedding dress business ended with the birth of my first child. Then, when we moved to Serenbe a few years ago, I battled triple negative breast cancer for a year. I wasn’t able to express myself creatively while undergoing treatment. But, as that chapter was ending, I was given the opportunity that has launched my creative business in a whole new direction. Megan Schaeffer at the Art Farm at Serenbe offered me a solo show at Gainey Hall. There is a lot of wall space there! She believed in me and neither of us knew exactly what I would put on the walls! I was inspired and driven, and there’s nothing like a deadline to make me get a lot done! I invented (because I can’t find anyone else doing it) a new technique where I sew ceramics onto the canvas. I have always been inventive and love trying new things. Thanks to Megan’s leap of faith in me and my creativity, I have launched a new art career in fine arts.

Website: https://www.boszilkov.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boszilkov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boszilkov

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/Boszilkov/