"ARCHITECTURAL STILL LIFE: 6" Painting

Ross Morgan is a South Australian fine artist whose practice centers on painting and drawing as forms of visual storytelling. Based in Adelaide, his work explores narrative, memory, place, and atmosphere through imagined environments, symbolic objects, and character-driven imagery. Drawing on his early experiences growing up in the regional Mid North of South Australia, his practice is informed by a fascination with rural landscapes, abandoned structures, local histories, and the quiet poetics of overlooked things. Morgan completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia in 2000 and has since developed an independent studio practice spanning more than two decades. He has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions and has been recognized through a number of significant awards and prizes, including selection as a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2014), being a three-time finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize (2017, 2018, 2021), and winning the John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art Prize (2015). At the core of Morgan’s practice is an ongoing interest in the narrative potential of the image. His works are often conceived as interconnected series, where individual paintings and drawings function as fragments within larger psychological, symbolic, or fictional worlds. Through this approach, he creates immersive visual experiences that invite contemplative reading and open-ended interpretation. Alongside his exhibiting practice, Morgan has undertaken commissioned projects across film, publishing, and private collections. His interest in visual narrative has also extended into illustration and picture book development, further enriching the storytelling dimension of his studio work. Morgan is currently developing new bodies of work that continue his exploration of narrative painting while expanding the relationship between fine art, character, and imagined space.