Marilu Morgan is a local artist who is inspired by motherhood, nature, and the beauty in everyday life. From starting Craft Club at East Pass Coffee Co to creating beautiful prints inspired by Destin, her art is very intertwined with our coastal community. You can find her doodles around town for restaurants such as Camille’s, La Paz, and The Local Market. She also creates seasonal bucket lists for things to do in Destin, which you can print for free from her website. And if you’re looking for a special personalized gift, she creates hand-painted champagne bottles, Christmas ornaments, and more. Check out the Q&A below to learn more about Marilu and her whimsical, colorful art.
Q&A With Marilu Morgan
What are you inspired by?
My kids for sure – their sense of wonder and play is a daily inspiration to me. I am very much inspired by nature and our native species. I love birds and bugs and fish – they are constantly making appearances in my artwork.
What is your favorite medium?
My favorite medium to work with is acrylic paints, but I find myself doing more graphic illustration these days. I don’t have a studio – I work in my dining room or in my yard. And with a crazy one year old at home, I’ve got to put everything up when I’m finished doing artwork for the day. The iPad is much easier to put away than a bunch of paints.
What are your favorite types of projects?
I love an assignment or a challenge, and I love taking commissions for that reason. Helping people take their wild and wonderful ideas and bringing them to life is so fulfilling for me.
Are you originally from Destin?
I am originally from Fort Payne, Alabama, which is in the Northeast corner of the state right where the Appalachian mountain range begins. I met my husband Chatham at the University of Alabama and followed him here. He was born and raised in Destin.
How has Destin influenced your art?
Subject matter for sure – so many more pelicans, heron, blue crab, and shrimp in my artwork than if I lived anywhere else.
Where can we see some of your art around town?
I do a seasonal poster for Camille’s in Crystal Beach – you can find my work there on the walls and check presenters and on a few T-shirts and hats. I really enjoy making T-shirt designs – you can buy one of my designs right now on a shirt at Dewey’s Snoballs. My map of the Destin/30A area is in The Scout Guide Vol. 2, which you can find all over town. And my Okaloosa Public Arts heron was just installed at Northside Vet in Fort Walton Beach!
How has the local community responded to your art?
I’ve always liked to doodle and draw but never considered myself a “real artist” until local folks started reaching out and asking me to paint things for them. Everyone has been so kind and encouraging, and I’m incredibly grateful for such a supportive community.
Tell us more about Craft Club at East Pass Coffee Co.! What are some upcoming events?
I’m so glad you asked me this question! East Pass owner Mackenzie Destin and I were at my house junk journaling one day – a project we came up with for the kids and ended up continuing on our own after the kids moved on to other things – and we started talking about how we’d love more opportunities for us as grownups to get together and play and be creative. From there, the idea kept growing and Craft Club was born! Every month, East Pass will host a different artist to teach a creative workshop, either on the first or second Thursday of the month. We’ve got some fun workshops coming up – my sister-in-law Libbo will be teaching a heron painting class and showing everyone how to frame them on fabric on November 7. I’ll be leading a Christmas ornament painting workshop on December 12. The full schedule is on my website and if you sign up for my newsletter, you get the link to buy tickets a few days before everyone else. We are so excited about all the fun workshops to come!
What are your top 5 Destin recommendations?
- Oh boy, well I’ve gotta plug the Morgan family restaurants first, which would be my favorites even with no affiliation: La Paz and Local Market (best place to go play pinball), Camille’s (love to grab a cocktail and go to the beach from here), and Harbor Docks (y’all already know, but best sushi in the country).
- The new Captain Leonard Destin Park on Calhoun is so nice – we go there a lot.
- Gotta be getting Snoballs at Dewey’s
- Get out on the water – we love kayaking or paddleboarding in the Bay. It’s fun to look for fish and birds (and the people watching is fun too).
- Come join us for Craft Club at East Pass!
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