Morgan Hill

"For many years I thought jewelry making was a phase I was going through, and I would eventually move on to other sculptural forms. Despite my efforts to quit, wearable art persisted in my practice. When I finally gave in and embraced my desire to make wooden jewelry, that's when I started to have some real fun. Bad Habits by Morgan Hill is a little celebration I get to have in my studio every day. I hope you enjoy wearing it as much as I do making it."

Bad Habits jewelry embodies the moment when you are about to have too much of a good thing. Like all indulgences, buying and wearing jewelry is a burst of excitement and joy. Some of Hill's collections celebrate literal vices, others imply indulgence through color and form. Either way, she sees jewelry as a way to fulfill an urge. It’s that little something you need to feel good. Although nearly all of Morgan Hill's work relates to the human body, her Bad Habits line is the side of her creative practice that exclusively focuses on jewelry and wearable art. She makes jewelry because it balances her studio practice and keeps her hands moving. It helps her plow through creative blocks and allows for exploration of new forms and ideas. It is playful, fun, colorful, and light. It is also her primary business. Selling jewelry allows Hill to make a living and connect with a broad audience of amazing people who use her work to express and indulge themselves.

Bad Habits by Morgan Hill pieces are sculpted from Holly wood. Each shape is cut out with a bandsaw and shaped with various sanders. The pieces are layered in paint and sanded back to reveal the white contrast of the wood. They are finished with a clear coat and assembled with brass, steel, or sterling silver metal findings. They are extremely lightweight making them easy to wear.

Morgan’s formal art education began at the Memphis College of Art where she focused on drawing. She also studied interior design and ultimately earned a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from the University of Arkansas Little Rock. She was a Core Fellow at the Penland School of Craft from 2015-2017 where she worked with renowned artists and designers and studied techniques ranging from chainsaw carving to metalwork to neon tube bending. In 2018, she was an ITE Windgate Fellow at the Center for Art in Wood, and in 2022, she was awarded the Chrysalis Award by the James Renwick Alliance. Her work is carried in galleries across the US and internationally. She creates her work at Treats Studios in Spruce Pine, NC, a studio cooperative she co-founded.