Morgan Jones Johnston is an American painter, storyteller, and creative force behind Rugged and Fancy. Her work is a vivid exploration of wild beauty, childhood memory, and the untamable spirit that lives at the edge of nature and self.
Rooted in the Deep South, Morgan paints from a place where nature, intuition and the human experience of the present moment collide with bold color, gesture, and emotion. Her abstract works and portraits pulse with a sense of aliveness — a call back to presence, play, and inner freedom.
A graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Morgan has lived and made art across England, France, and the U.S. After co-founding the experiential lifestyle brand Club Duquette, she returned full-time to her studio practice, developing collections and collaborative works that bridge the personal and the universal.
Her ongoing portrait experience, “You Painted My Insides,” has taken her across continents — capturing the vulnerability, mystery, and light within her subjects. She has created original work for Serena & Lily, live painted with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, collaborated with Nine Orchard Hotel in New York, and produced large-scale multimedia work for Magic City Performing Arts. In 2024, she brought her practice to the streets and salons of Paris during Fashion Week.
Morgan’s paintings live in over 500 private collections worldwide, and her creative projects have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Veranda, Nylon, Southern Living, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and more.
In addition to painting, Morgan offers intimate one-on-one sessions for creative entrepreneurs, artists, and seekers looking to reconnect with their creative spark and gain clarity in direction in their practice and businesses. She also leads bespoke, sensory-rich Paris experiences — guiding others through the beauty, magic, and deep personal inspiration she’s found in the City of Light.
At Rugged and Fancy, Morgan continues to create, guide, and share — inviting others into a life of greater beauty, freedom and full presence.
