Kris Morgan
was born the youngest of eight children in Burbank, California. She grew up in a tight-knit Charismatic community that was explorative and expressive in their faith. As a result, she was encouraged to pursue her artistic inclinations from a young age. Whether she is painting a romantic landscape with gouache or drawing a portrait with charcoal, Sorensen believes in creating without judgement, understanding that themes and patterns only emerge if you let yourself experiment. Consequently, her work is varied and fluid. In her early works, she incorporated her curiosity about how the mind and body relate to emotion by layering her portraits with anatomical drawings that expose how grief, pain, trauma and empathy manifest physically. Sorensen often plays with building up layers in her pieces, which sometimes take on a sculptural effect. Her subject matter and methods are always evolving, but it is the emotional connection between people that she hopes to capture in her work and evoke in the viewer.
CV
Exhibitions
2022 October 2019 - November 2022, Working Studio and Exhibition Gallery, Pink Dog Creative, Asheville, NC
2021 March - September, Group Exhibition, Chestnut, Asheville NC
2016 Solo Exhibition, Highsmith Union Art and Intercultural Gallery, Asheville, NC
National Conference for Undergraduate Research Group Exhibition, S. Tucker Cooke Gallery, Asheville
Group Exhibition 49th Annual Student Juried Show, S. Tucker Cooke Gallery, Asheville, Juried by Michael Reedy
Professional Work
2021 January - Present, Photography and Color Correcting at Dot Editions, Asheville NC
2021 Open Figure, Figure Drawing Sessions, Pink Dog Creative, Asheville, NC
2019 Photography and Videography for Kind Nest, Asheville NC
2019 The Drawing Room - Figure Drawing Sessions, 191 Lyman Ave Riverview Station, Asheville NC
2018 Web Development, Graphic Design for Gan Shan Station Restaurant, Asheville NC
2018 Illustration, Painting for Ross Hollow Music, Indianapolis IN
2018 Movie Poster for Melrose, Los Angeles CA
2017 Photography, Graphic Design, Web Development for Gan Shan West Restaurant, Asheville NC
2017 Photography, Graphic Design, Videography for Green’s Beverages Chain Liquor Store, Columbus SC
2016 Illustration for Inkwell Press Inc, Asheville NC
Grants / Awards
2016 Drawing Discourse II Scholarship, Asheville, NC
2015 New S Tucker Cooke Scholarship, Asheville, NC
Publications
2016 Undergrad Research Investigates Empathy Through Biology and Art, Sarah Carballo, UNCA News Center,
March 2016
Lectures
2016 30th Annual National Conference for Undergraduate Research, University of North Carolina in Asheville
Education
2016 BFA, University of North Carolina Asheville, Bachelor of Fine Arts — Concentration in Drawing
Distinction as a University Scholar, Distinction in Art