LYNN – A Lynn woman gave up a stable career to follow her dream of becoming a watercolor artist. Now, Diana Morgan is finding beauty in neighborhoods all around New England.

Morgan isn’t your typical house painter. Water is the key element in her toolbox.

The artist understands homes are much more than just brick and mortar.

“My dad is a real estate appraiser, and when I was a kid he would point out the architecture of all the houses and show me why they were beautiful,” Morgan said. “So I’ve been looking at houses in a way that showcases why they’re beautiful my whole life.”

Becoming a professional artist

Being a professional artist is challenging. In the U.S., only one in six earn $25,000 a year, one in ten make $100,000 or more.

Becoming an artist wasn’t always Morgan’s plan.

Morgan was a philosophy major in college and worked in graphic design and marketing for a decade. But she says everything changed in 2020.

“I had so many dreams about painting that I realized I had to try it. And then I tried it and I was hooked,” Morgan said.

While many artists rely on social media to sell their work and to raise their profiles, Morgan focuses on making connections in the local community.

Art on display in Lynn

She has an exhibit up at a Lynn coffee shop, sets up booths at outdoor markets, and works closely with several realtors, who commission her work as closing gifts to buyers and sellers.

Under the name Sophia Diana Creations, Morgan has painted more than 400 pieces in the past two years, everything from $6 greeting cards to larger works that sell for more than $1,000.

Morgan said the opportunity to always try something new is one of the best things about it, saying “Being an artist and being paid to do it is freedom in a lot of ways.”

CNN
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A Massachusetts State Police recruit died after suffering a medical emergency during a training exercise, the department said.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, was participating in a “defensive tactics training exercise” Thursday when he suffered a “medical crisis,” Lt. Sean Quirk told CNN in an email.

An on-site medical team quickly responded before Delgado-Garcia was taken to a hospital. “Despite the heroic efforts of medical professionals to deliver lifesaving care, Trainee Delgado-Garcia died at the hospital,” Quirk said.

Delgado-Garcia entered the training troop in April, and his class is set to graduate next month. He was given the oath of office in his final hours of life and he was sworn in as a trooper surrounded by loved ones and classmates, Quirk said.

“The Massachusetts State Police grieves the tragic loss of Trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” Col. John E. Mawn Jr. said in a statement.

Mawn described Delgado-Garcia as a “fine young man who devoted himself to the service of others.”

“Enrique demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to learn and a desire to deliver excellent police services to the people of Massachusetts,” Mawn said. “By all accounts, Enrique possessed and displayed all the qualities that would have made him an outstanding Trooper: kindness and compassion, dedication, commitment, willingness to work hard to improve himself, and a strong desire to help others.”

The incident is under review by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, spokesperson Lindsay Corcoran said in an email to CNN.

“The review has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday,” Corcoran added.

Delgado-Garcia worked as a victim witness advocate for the DA’s office for about a year and a half before joining the police academy, Corcoran said.

“Our office’s thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time,” she said.