By Tara Ryazansky
In the moment
Photos courtesy of Morgan McCue
M
organ McCue’s Instagram account @morganmccue artist is mesmerizing. This Hoboken artist posts hyperlapse videos taken overhead while she paints with watercolors. In the span of only a few seconds her followers can watch a blank piece of paper become a beautiful work of art. There’s something about the way that the paint swirls together and melts into the paper as the image takes form that’s impossible to scroll past. Despite making such quality content, McCue doesn’t do it for the Gram. “I don’t really like social media,” she says. In fact, she avoids it when she can. “It’s important to have secret work that’s not going to be seen by anybody else. It’s important in general,
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like go on a hike without your phone. Be in the moment.” But she knows that social media can be a necessary evil for the small business owner. “It’s a hard thing to do. It’s tough because the only way to keep your business afloat and get clients is that engagement from viewers.” McCue creates custom portraits, wedding invites, maps and nursery décor. Pet portraits, known as pawtraits, are especially popular. Currently, they make up the bulk of her work. “It’s part of the millennial trend of being really into your pet,” she says. “Hoboken people are crazy about their dogs.” McCue brings a realistic style to her custom work. She says, “I think pet portraits can be really hokey, and some of those are hilarious, but there’s a way to make it a piece of art in its own right. That’s what I strive to do.”