Morgan Leavitt was born and raised in an artistic household in the near North suburbs of Chicago. Very early in her childhood, she would spend hours observing her father paint in a make-shift studio in the basement, and imitate him using a small paint set of her own. From her mother, she developed a fondness for performance and theatrical expression. Supposedly, Morgan began drawing detailed self portraits at the age of 5, complete with wild costumes and animal sidekicks. In addition, she picked up the violin at the age of 7, and continued to play for ten years. Visual art, drama, and music became highly influential passions as she developed into adulthood.

Morgan received a BFA in Theatre Studies from The Theater School at DePaul University, with an emphasis on directing and design, and a minor in studio art. Her artistic training continued with organizations such as Piven Theatre Workshop and Lillstreet Art Center. She has taught art and drama with Piven Theatre Workshop, The Paintbrush, and to foster youth through the Office of the Public Guardian Arts Training Program, as well as participated on theatrical productions with several local theatre companies, incorporating her directing and design skills. Visual images have always been a mainstay in her creative expression, and she is continuously looking for ways to incorporate her varied experiences in theatre and music into her paintings.

Morgan resides in Chicago, where she has trained in oil painting, drawing, and figure studies, and continues to explore  the possibilities of charcoal as a painting medium. Her work, in both oil and charcoal, have been exhibited in galleries throughout Chicago, including The Galaxie, 33 Collective, FLATfile, ARC Gallery and High Risk. A small collection of her charcoal works were recently shown at Wandering Gypsy Soul Gallery in Portland, Oregon in 2008, and a  larger collection of her mixed media on wood pieces were on display at the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun in Tucson, Arizona in February of 2009. When not exhibiting, she works on commissioned portraits. Several of her paintings and portraits can also be found in private collections throughout the U.S.


For more information, please contact Morgan at Seaborn79@aol.com.