Reflections on Land, Life, and Connection

Andrea Morgan's 'Coyote Kinship' brings a heartfelt collection of her latest works to Cassens Fine Art, where each painting tells a story of nature's intertwined lives. Drawing from her life as an ecologist and farmer, Andrea crafts vivid scenes that show us the silent, sacred connections between the wildlife and their landscapes. Her use of rich, lively colors and thoughtful details invites everyone to step into a world where nature speaks in quiet moments of beauty.

For artist Andrea Morgan, kinship extends far beyond family—it is a deep, unspoken connection to the landscapes and creatures that share her world. In Coyote Kinship, Morgan’s solo exhibition at Cassens Fine Art, she invites viewers to explore the ways in which animals, land, and human presence intertwine, forming relationships built on shared space and quiet recognition.

The Artist’s Journey

Morgan’s creative path has always been woven with the rhythms of nature. Without formal art training but with a lifetime of hands-on experience, her background as a restoration ecologist, landscaper, and farmer informs her work in a multitude of ways. Her art is born from the same land she has nurtured—rich in texture, history, and curiosity. The seasonal nature of her work has allowed her to dedicate winter months to her artistic explorations, fostering an intuitive and ever-evolving practice.

Her transition into painting began through mixed media, incorporating layers of acrylic, charcoal, and vintage materials such as old Montana maps and encyclopedia pages. What started as experiments soon became fully realized compositions, each one capturing the untamed energy of the natural world.

Themes in Coyote Kinship

At the heart of this exhibition is the concept of kinship—not as defined by lineage, but by coexistence. The show’s title piece, Coyote Kinship, was inspired by a fleeting encounter with a coyote basking in the winter sun. This moment of shared stillness became the seed for a larger exploration of how humans and wildlife exist side by side.

Morgan’s paintings reflect this interconnectedness with vibrant color, layered compositions, and expressive mark-making. Pronghorn Ten, for example, captures the heart of these swift creatures as they emerge from abstracted dreamlike landscape. Her bison series, including Bison Sixteen and Blue Haired Bison #4, explores the historical and spiritual weight of these animals, with elements of surprise woven into their gridded forms. Horses, too, make an appearance in works like Three Yellow Mares and Horse Twenty Two, further expanding the idea that kinship extends beyond species to a shared presence on the land.

Standout Pieces

Among the many captivating works in this exhibition, a few pieces stand out for their powerful storytelling and composition. Bison Sixteen is a masterful exploration of movement and history, where each bison, painted in a structured yet free-flowing grid, carries an essence of past and present. In Three Yellow Mares, Morgan’s use of vintage maps and handwritten scraps embedded in the paint creates a layered narrative, speaking to the deep bond between land and horse.

One of the most intriguing works, Pronghorn Ten, challenges the viewer to experience the landscape through an abstracted lens, mirroring the fleeting presence of these swift animals in the wild. The title piece, Coyote Kinship, is both intimate and expansive, offering a quiet meditation on the silent relationships between humans and the untamed world around them.

from the Curator

“As soon as I saw Andrea’s work, I was drawn into her world. There’s something deeply personal yet universally resonant in her paintings. It’s the way she layers history and movement into her bison series or how she captures the quiet knowing of a coyote, her work is both raw and refined. Her work evokes an emotion in the viewer. They remind us that we are not separate from nature but deeply enmeshed within it,“ says Michelle Cassens, Owner & Curator of Cassens Fine Art. 

"She is redefining Western art by blending its rich traditions with contemporary abstraction. Her work honors the land and wildlife central to Western identity, but through a lens that challenges convention. She represents the intersection of past and present, honoring western tradition while pushing its boundaries forward."

The Painting Process: Embracing Surprise

Morgan’s intuitive approach to painting means she rarely begins with a set plan. Instead, she builds up layers, letting colors and shapes guide the direction of each piece. She describes her process as a search for the "wild thing before it runs away"—a chase that results in compositions filled with movement, depth, and unexpected details.

Her work offers a balance of joy and contemplation. At first glance, the paintings are playful and bold, but a closer look reveals layers of history, humor, and reverence for the natural world. This element of discovery is key to Morgan’s practice, calling viewers spend time with these works to fully explore the visual depth the have to offer. 

Experience Coyote Kinship

Andrea Morgan’s Coyote Kinship opens the viewer's eyes to a fresh view of the land and its diverse inhabitants. Through her vivid and textured compositions, she encourages us to recognize the quiet relationships we have with the natural world, ones built on respect, curiosity, and shared space.

Join Us for This Special Exhibition

Join us for the artist reception on Friday, MARCH 7th, 5–7 PM at Cassens Fine Art to meet Andrea Morgan and experience this extraordinary collection in person.