BONUS: Excavated Landscapes & Finding My Creative Voice — My Story on Paint Rest Repeat Podcast

Daring Creatively: Unfiltered is an Australian art podcast where Sydney-based contemporary artist Korynn Morrison picks up the phone, drops a surprise topic into the conversation, and hits record.

This is a bonus episode and it's a little different. This time, I'm the one in the hot seat.

I was recently a guest on Ros Gervay's Paint Rest Repeat Podcast, and the conversation got so honest and so real that I wanted to share it with you here on my own feed. Ros asked me about finding your unique art style and developing your creative voice, and I ended up sharing things I haven't really talked about publicly before.

In this conversation we cover the story behind my excavated landscape paintings and how that process came to be. How identity, motherhood, postpartum depression and major life change shaped my work. Why finding your style as an artist is not something you can logic your way into, why it happens by making the work, staying open to experimentation and following what keeps calling you back, and how self-doubt, comparison and overthinking get in the way.

If you are an artist trying to find your voice, or if you have ever wondered about the story behind my work and how I got here, this one is for you.

You can find Ros Gervay and the Paint Rest Repeat Podcast on Apple Podcasts and all major platforms.

Full show notes and links available at https://www.permissiontopaint.co/podcast115

Connect with Ros Gervay HERE

Join My Inner Circle: https://www.korynnmorrison.com/mailing-list

Visit My Website: https://www.korynnmorrison.com/

Find me on Instagram HERE

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Today's episode is a little bit of a bonus for you because recently I had the absolute pleasure to sit down with the incredible Ros Gervais from the Paint Rest Repeat podcast. And we had this incredible conversation which led me down this path to telling my story about how I got into excavating, how I found my own unique style, and how it is often the hardest times of our lives that inevitably birth the things that need to come out of us. Now I took some time to listen back to my own story, and it was really weird listening to myself talk about um the many phases of my life that I have gone through. And do you know what? Roz did the most incredible job at turning it into this bite-sized piece that is so easily digestible. And I said to her, I couldn't retell this if I tried. Can I please have a copy of this episode? And she has so graciously given me the episode to put on my feed as well. And so I wanted to um put it up as a little bit of a bonus for all of those new listeners who have recently found the podcast. This is a little bit of a behind the scenes into my practice. And soon I will also be sitting down with Ros Gervais, and she will also be on this podcast. So you can look forward to that very soon as well. But yeah, grab yourself a cuppa and um have a listen. This is my story.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

In today's episode, I'm joined by contemporary Australian artist Corinne Morrison for a deeply honest conversation about finding your unique creative style. We talk about the winding path of becoming an artist, the role of self-doubt and experimentation, and how life's hardest seasons can sometimes shape our most meaningful work. Corinne shares so beautifully about process, identity, imperfection, and learning to trust what keeps calling you forward. This is episode 115 of the Paint Rest Repeat podcast, which means you can find all the relevant links and the show notes over at permission2paint.co stroke podcast115. Welcome to Paint Rest Repeat, the podcast for artists who are ready to ditch the overwhelm, follow their passion, and build a thriving art life on their own terms. I'm Rose, an Aussie artist, mum of two, and creative business coach who knows exactly how wild, wonderful, and wobbly the artist's journey can be. Because I've lived it. I left behind a safe teaching career to follow my heart into art, and now my work hangs in galleries and major art fairs across Australia. After years of coaching, I'm passionate about helping you ditch the starving artist myth, stick it to the naysayers, and design a creative life that truly lights you up. So if you're ready for real talk, practical tips, and heartfelt encouragement, found your podcast. Hit follow and let's dive in. Today's guest is Corinne Morrison, a contemporary Australian artist based in Darrowell Country in southern Sydney. Corinne creates striking process-led paintings that explore memory, imperfection, destruction, and rebirth through a deeply layered and tactile approach. Her work has been exhibited across Australia and internationally, and she was recently named the winner of the 2026 Revival Emerging Art Prize. I'm really excited to share this conversation with you. Please welcome Corinne Morrison. Corinne, it is so exciting to have you here. So tell our listeners today a little bit about you and what you do, and then you know we'll dive into our topic today, which is really about finding your unique creative style and that piece.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Of course. So my name's Corinne Morrison. I'm a contemporary-based artist that's located in Sydney, although I live in this beautiful little town called Helensburg, which is kind of smack bang in the middle of the bush. I grew up around the landscape, so hence I do work predominantly, I would say that they're abstract landscapes. So with my work, it's obviously a pretty unique process that I've developed over the course of many years. And in many ways, I think I would say I'm probably one of the only crazy artists that wants to put like leaders and leaders and leaders and liters of paint on the surface, only to sand it all off at the end. So it's not a cost-effective way to paint, but it kind of mimics everything that I'm all about. So my process has always been like a dance between control and surrender. And what I'm navigating really is the polarity of that in nature. I mean, in nature, what happens? It floods to nourish, it burns to renew, like exists in this relentless cycle of destruction and rebirth. And for the most part, my entire practice, right from the very beginning, even when I was at national arts school, I've always been obsessed with process. I've been obsessed with building something up and then murdering it or covering it over and saying goodbye to it. So there is something about this transformation and risk that I've always been really obsessed with.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

I adore that about how you work and just sort of being able to reflect on your practice over all of these years, notice the common sort of thread there. And obviously that deep connection between your work and its meaning and symbolism for you as a person and your values. I think that's really amazing and not all that easy to come by.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

Yes. Like everything, I think sometimes it is the hardest times of our life that I think um really force us to look at ourselves. And I mean, while I was at university, I used to be a competitive gymnast. I used to compete for Australia. So I had this identity from very, very young age. I was in the gym most of my life. And then after I finished competing, I inevitably fell into that role of being a coach and a judge and um helping run a gymnastics club and all of this sort of stuff. So to say that my identity was bound as Corinne the gymnast would be a complete understatement. And yet, in saying that, while I was at high school, I had this really interesting contrast between just not being interested in anything else other than my goals for world championships and regulating myself through art. And I had the most wonderful art teacher who saw that in me. And she basically said to me, Why don't you try and go to national art school and do the HSC Extension course? And so in year 10, I got into that course and I had my first experience at national art school, whereby you go there in the holidays, you learn a new skill, and it was phenomenal. And inevitably after the HSC, I then got into national art school and it was the best and the hardest experience I've ever had. I ended up actually majoring in photography because at the time, the little 18-year-old in me looked at all of the incredibly talented painters in my year, of which there were many. And I kind of looked sideways and went, well, I I really just want to learn to paint. And these people have, they've got it all going on. So maybe I should just pick photography because I'm good at that and it's easy. And yet at the end of third year, I was proud of the work. And I walked out of those doors and I thought to myself, ooh, I and I still get emotional thinking about it. There was this feeling in me that was like, I was so disappointed in myself because I had not done what I had set out to do, which was learn to paint. And I got scared and fear got the better of me. And I thought, I've got this piece of paper that says I've graduated from national arts school. And I had never felt so clueless in my entire life. And I thought, well, the only thing I can do is just paint. And I got this 120 by 120 custom panel made. And I had no idea what I was gonna do on it, but I just hung it on the wall and it took up the whole wall. There was like no room for anything else. And I just remember being so excited. And then I thought to myself, I'm gonna learn how to use oils. So I got oil and cold wax and I started mixing that up. Just started playing, started building up these layers. And somewhere in amongst all of that, I fell pregnant. I continued this painting throughout my entire pregnancy. So this painting, in total, it took me about a year and a half. And if I'm being really honest, the early stages of my parenting journey were probably a lot more difficult than most for a few reasons that were happening in my life at the time. And probably that identity crisis, too, because at the time that I had her, I also had to decide to give up my gymnastics career. And I thought I am not Karin the gymnast anymore, and I'm not coming back. And who the hell am I? And so this painting, this 120 by 120 painting became this like life force energy of me getting to know who I was for the first time without being told that I was Karein the gymnast. And um, I think that was one thing that made my early motherhood so challenging is that I was learning about me and I was trying to raise this tiny child, and I was like, oh wow, no one tells you how hard this is. And so that painting was my oxygen, it really was. And eventually what happened is I remember the day it reached this point in the studio, and it was the most beautiful landscape, and I still to this day love that painting, and it did end up selling. But I remember the final brush stroke that I made on it, and I remember stepping back and I remember crying. And um, sorry, I'm getting really emotional. But it was one of those things where um I was suffering the most severe postpartum depression, and I was very numb, and I essentially wasn't feeling anything. And finishing that painting made me feel something for the first time in longer than I could remember. And um it was just one of those moments where I just thought, that's it. That's that thing I've been looking for for so long. And it went back way before even being pregnant. I realized that my entire identity as a gymnast was actually just this surface-level thing that I had never even had the opportunity of really knowing who I was. And um that painting did that.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

If this conversation has stirred something in you around style, voice, or trusting your own path as an artist, I want to let you know that I have created a free masterclass replay on finding your unique art style. It's there to support you as you explore what feels true for you in your work. You can find that along with my other free resources at permission2paint.co stroke resources or via the link in the show notes.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

From there, I started producing a lot more work and inevitably then my life fell apart. And um, yeah, I basically hit like this really scary rock bottom. I escaped a pretty scary situation uh that made me rethink every aspect of my life. And um I remember the day that I got out of that situation and I walked up to my studio and I looked at all the work that I'd made, and all I could see in the work was like this energy of escape because I did. I I used to use my art as a form of escape for a period of time, and I just had to get rid of it. So, this year's worth of work that I had worked on, I literally put the whole lot on the floor. I grabbed a big bottle of solvent because I was working in oil and cold wax at the time, and I poured that bottle of solvent over the entire collection of work, and there was this tiny little square of sandpaper on the floor, and I do not know what made me do it, but I picked it up and I started sanding. And I was crying and I was sanding and I was crying and I was sanding, and then I just got this squeegee, and I squeegied down this work, and what was revealed was all of this beauty, and I got that feeling again. I got that same feeling that I got with that first 120 by 20 by 120 painting, and I thought, there it is again. That's what I'm following as an artist. I'm following that feeling, and there's something about this process that gives it to me. Um and then from there I had to learn to produce more work quicker, and so I pivoted to acrylic. The first lot of excavated landscapes in acrylic got into an art prize and sold straight away before it opened. And then from there, it was like the the floodgates were open. And I felt like this immense freedom for the first time in my life. I felt like I'm getting to know who I am with the process of this work. And every time I build up a painting, still to this day, I build them up in layers upon layers upon layers of strategic color blockings, and um then they get put to one side to cure. And then when I revisit them, it's like I have this beautiful opportunity to recurate the work. And in actual fact, one of the interesting things that people don't realize about my process is that the work itself, I have to think back to front. So where most artists are building up in glazes in order to resolve, my base layers are the most important.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

And you're almost getting able to be more free with your work as you're working through the process, which is often often the other way around for a lot of people. And I think that's quite interesting. Um, I have a question for you. You're going back, you know, a couple of years, where would you have been if you hadn't landed on your style and a you know a practice that you you you adore? What was the risk there for you?

SPEAKER_01 16:04

You know, I genuinely and in the most authentic way, I think back to those really hard stages. And I think to myself, imagine if I didn't have that like tower tarot card moment where everything crumbled. Imagine if everything did just keep chipping along fine. I say thank you. I say thank you every single day for that hardest phase of my life, and I would not change it at all. And I am a firm believer that every single thing in our lives happens for a reason. And when I do look back at these breadcrumbs, this yearning that I had um all those years ago, even when I was at NAS, this yearning for like it's like a grit, like a grittiness. I was like, I don't want to paint perfect paintings. I want the imperfection. I love a little bit of struggle. I want to reveal all of that. How do I do that? And so I had this yearning. And sometimes I feel like our paintings have already been painted on another timeline. I know this sounds really woo-woo, but when it comes down to inspiration for me, I find inspiration is one of those really interesting things where it drops in, like that feeling, it drops in and then it's running. And my job is trying to catch up with it. So, in many ways, I feel like I'm not in control of the work itself. I'll have a composition, I'll do my thumbnail sketches, I'll have an obsession with a specific site in the landscape that is just giving me that feeling. Like that's what I follow, that feeling. And and yet when I start the work, every work this happens with, something will happen that has me go, oh, okay, what I thought was the thing I was aiming for at aiming it, I gotta follow this thing. And then I'm like a dog with a bone trying to trying to get this senses to what this energetic pool is. And I'm like, I need to catch up with it. And then I will get to the end of a work and I will sand it and I will know if the work is good because I will hit the feeling that I had and I will look at it, and it's really interesting. It's like I look at it and I go, Well, duh, of course. I it's almost like deja vu, like I feel like I've painted it before. And so when I when I get that, I'm like, I wonder if I've already painted this before. Like I wonder if the future version of myself is like so much further ahead than what I even think. So it's just like a funny thing that I think to myself all the time when I'm in the studio, and having that open spirit and just going, Well, I'm curious. I'm curious about where this work's going to lead. I think that's basically the way that I control my entire existence now with that exact same spark of curiosity.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Yeah. And following flow rather than trying to sculpt and control everything. I think there's a lot to be said for that in multiple contexts. Yeah, amazing. Your process is just epic. I mean, I had the luxury of coming to see your works in process and all of that. My first, my first and biggest question was but does your sander have like a vacuum-y thing? So you're not breathing in the toxins. I was most worried about your health. So you've got that sorted, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Yeah, I do. I mean, the the bonus to having the big factory is the roller door is up 90% of the time. And the other thing is that I do I use a very, very heavy-duty um sander that has a very powerful vacuum. Um, I still mask, I still wear a mask constantly, although when it's 50 degrees in here in summertime, it's not very comfortable. So there are some days where I've like, I just gotta take it off. But I do. For the most part, I am wearing the mask pretty constantly with the sanding. And I do. I still do have to vacuum regularly because even with the very heavy-duty dustless sander, inevitably there's still a bit of dust. So it's definitely something that I've been mindful of in the past. And there was a period of time where I was being a little bit less cautious and it did develop a little bit of a cough. So yeah, the mask is constantly on when I'm sanding nowadays.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

Super important. So my next question was going to be, you know, around the challenges and the problems you've had on your journey. But we've already really talked about that. And what I adore about that though is that each of your challenges has actually turned into a win, essentially, and it's uncovered something for you. And it's become, it's become your style, it's become your way of being an artist.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

Look, I mentor people as well. And one of the things that is the biggest barrier is that that bit of self-doubt, especially, you know, in those early days where people are really navigating. How do I find this unique thing that it's just me that's good at it? Like what lights me up? What is that, what is that thing that is uniquely me? And unfortunately, the only way to get into your creative voice, the only way to find that thing is by making the work. You cannot logic your way through it. And in making the work and in resting in that unknown and showing up consistently and remaining open to that unknown and allowing yourself to not rush through it, I think if you can master the unknown, I really think that that's a suit, like that's a superhero cave. You can't fail if you don't. Don't fear the unknown. Whereas if you are a little bit cautious and you don't want to make mistakes, you have to. You have to make bad work. You have to fail. And it's like I've gotten to the point now where I remember at the start of these excavated landscapes, they do not all work. I will preface to say that. There is still about 20% of the work that never gets seen because what happens is I start sanding, and then I'll keep sanding, and then I'll keep sanding, and there's nothing lighting me up, and it still feels dead, and I'm not getting that feeling. And then six months' worth of work will literally just be a pile of dust on the floor. And I'll be like, that was a waste of money. Um what did I learn from this experience? And then I go back to the drawing board and I'm like, well, those colours didn't have enough contrast. I probably had way too many mid-tones here. And but that's what you learn from. And I'm still, I don't think anyone gets there. I don't like I never want to get there. I never ever ever want to feel like I've got it. I want to feel like every day I'm showing up and I'm going, well, I wonder what would happen if. And you continue to push to the next phase. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Exploring and growing always. Yeah, I love that. I often come back to do you know, did you ever read that story to your daughter? Um, we're going on a bear hunt. Because you can't go over it, you can't go under it, you've got to go through it. And you've got to enjoy you've got to enjoy going through it, you know? Like, yes, that is the journey. The journey is the going through, you know. So if we can enjoy that, then we're in a good place. And that's where we shall forever remain. Because I think there isn't, like you're saying, there's no shiny end of the rainbow. It's it's not about that, it's about the journey. And we've got, I don't know, how old do you want to, how how long do you want to live for real? We've got about a hundred years. Oh, I'm not growing up. I'm never growing up.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

That's why my hair's pink. I'm not growing up. But I think as well, like, even when you say you've got to enjoy that process, and I think to go even one step further than that, I think one of the most important things we can do as creatives is actually to feel it all, um, good and the bad, and to actually allow ourselves. And I think this is something that I've had to learn the hard way, in that there's a little bit of ex-gymnist in me that has to struggle in order to succeed. Like that pattern is very, very alive. Like, if it's not hurting, you're not trying hard enough. And so it's a pattern that I've been trying as best I can to work with over these years. And yet I think about all the struggles and I think about how I had to surrender to them. I really had to rest in them to find out what they were teaching me. And in actual fact, if I was only following bliss, I don't know whether I'd be where I am. So it's less about just following joy and more about feeling it all and then reflecting on it and going, well, what what parts of this actually make me who I am? What is it that I feel so deeply about that I just want to grab onto it and continue to look at it and over and obsessively over and over and over again? Because I think that's what gives your work substance in the end.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

Hey Corinne, um, we need to wrap up this episode. So I was wondering, can you let our listeners know um where to find out more about you and where to connect with you as well?

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah, absolutely. So Instagram's a good place. I'm very active on Instagram, Corinne Morrison Artist. So Corinne spelt K-O-R-Y-D-N underscore Morrison underscore artist. So that's my Instagram. My website is corinmorrison.com. You can find everything on there. And then upcoming for me, I've got work going to Gallery Coa in Canada. I always have work at Curatorial Co. in Sydney. They are my main gallery. And I have work going up to Revival Art and Design in Queensland very soon. And then these two paintings behind me are off to the US. So there is a lot coming up, but I will share it all on my social media. And yeah, it's one big adventure, and I really appreciate the conversation today.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

So good to connect again. I have one last little surprise question for you. If you went back in time and gave a little snippet of advice to little Corinne, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 26:50

I would say to her, it's gonna be really tough. But at the other side of it, it's gonna feel like magic. That's what I would say.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

Good one, Corinne. Thank you so much for joining us today. You have inspired everyone, I'm sure. Um, and I'll catch you around.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Yes, absolutely. And you need to be on my podcast next. We need to do a swap. That's all we're doing. Because the new Yeah, the new format's out where I give everyone a call. So all I'm doing now is I'm calling a friend and throwing in a surprise topic, and now we're just having a chat. And it's been really fun, all the interviews I've done so far. So you I'm super excited.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

And your podcast is called Daring Creatively Unfiltered, is that right? Yeah, yeah. Brilliant. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

I'll um send you the link for the show notes and all of that.

SPEAKER_00 27:36

Yay, let's do it. Enjoy the rest of your day, lovely. That's it for this episode. I am so glad we could share this time together. I'm Roz Gervais, and I'll catch you in the next episode.