Harmony Morrison believes the truth should never be sugar-coated and she works hard to convey the message through her art. That honesty has resulted in her being honored as Arts Council Menifee’s Artist of the Month for May.

“My inspiration comes from my surroundings; even in the early years I felt I needed to encourage people to think for themselves,” said Morrison, 22. “I try to show true happiness and real aspects of life in my work.”

She is a multi-medium artist that expresses creativity through painting, drawing, sculpting, writing and music composition.

“My subject matter focuses on natural life, spiritual life and helps offer peace from within. I create energy and wrap it in color,” said Morrison, of Fallbrook. “My career is art. And healing. And teaching. I go where I am needed and I show light where it seems dark.”

She joined ACM about a year ago and has readily volunteered to assist in all its visual arts events including setting up the gallery and participating in art shows.

“Let me tell you, there’s something sublime about a room full of artists,” Morrison said. “The energy is looser; the laughs are louder. And the ideas never stop growing.”

Although she took a few high school art classes and painted a mural during her senior year,
Morrison is mostly self-taught in the mediums that she uses. Her decision to take her art to a professional level came when she sold her first painting.

“I decided to put one painting in a gallery my senior year and I got a call a month or so later saying it sold,” Morrison recalled. “It was a huge confidence booster to hear someone wanted to look at my art every day. I love to create and I don’t think there is a person out there that doesn’t want to love the way they make their income.”

She shows her works at all the Menifee art shows and during ACM’s Spring/Summer show on
April 2, she won the Viewers’ Choice Award for her painting “Dark Hours”. It was selected as a winner from nearly 50 submissions.

Morrison displayed paintings, sculptures and dream catchers at the show and sold the most she has ever done before at one show.

“I loved seeing all the support from my family,” she said, adding that their encouragement and
support was everything she needed to start her journey as an artist.

Kathleen Crain, ACM Trustee, Visual Arts said Morrison and her partner, Charlotte Parker, have
been a huge asset to the organization and that their volunteerism has helped tremendously.

“Harmony is an emerging artist; she is very talented and her work is unique – in a good way,”
Crain said. “It is a pleasure to watch her grow in confidence as she shares her work.”

Morrison recalls creating from the time she could pick up a pencil. Her grandmother, Linda
Morrison, concurs adding that ever since Harmony was a child she enjoyed making art.

“Her favorite pastime was drawing and painting,” said Linda Morrison, Co-Chair of the Visual
Arts Division for Arts Council Menifee. “I am so proud of Harmony. Her talent and willingness
to help ACM makes me very proud.”

Harmony’s works, along with those of other talented artists, can be viewed at the seventh annual Menifee Arts Showcase on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Menifee Countryside
Marketplace.