At the age of seven,
standing at the end of a Lake Erie dock with her mother by her side, Morotti attempted to capture the fleeting brilliance of a sunset with watercolors. It was her mother who had gifted her those first art lessons, nurturing a fascination with art that would last a lifetime. Or perhaps it is more fitting to say that her journey into exploring beauty—that elusive essence which art seeks to capture — took its first step.
When Morotti finally found focus in higher education she was captivated by art history,
but her passions extended equally to the sciences and humanities. These wide-ranging
interests delayed her focus on a singular path until almost four decades later, when
she discovered her calling in architecture. In 1988, as a single mother of three, she enrolled
at Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning, where her love for architecture
flourished alongside her rediscovered passion for creating art.
A pivotal moment came when her professor, Jung Ho Chang, 
M.Arch Berkley and now Dean of Faculty of Architecture at The
University of Hong Kong, invited Morotti and fellow students to contribute
to an art exhibition at the Berkeley Art Gallery. The challenge was to
create a 17” x 24” matted and framed piece;then known as Carol Conway,
she rose to the occasion and found herself hooked on the process of
creating art. That experience ignited a spark, leading her to experiment
with abstract, narrative, and geometric styles for years before transition to a new
artistic expression.
Another experience, during her architectural education, and
lending irony to that later artistic expression was her course in
photography. It was not her strong suit and the darkroom in
particular was a source of frustration as she famously struggled
in her photography class. Morotti’s professor Daniel Doz, who
would later become the President and CEO of the Alberta College
of Art and Design,granted her a grade of C — a rare occurrence
for Morotti. While relieved to have completed the class, she had
all but abandoned photography at that point.
Graduating in 1991, remarried in 93, Conway became Morotti, taking her mother’s maiden name. Her career took her into private practice in residential design which lent well to fixing her own hours around her children’s schedules.
Morotti was inspired by the book Sacred Space written by Denise Linn, author of 19 books and host of a popular television show. After receiving her certification from Denise she enhanced her architecture and design practice with Feng Shui. This consulting work allowed her to leverage her space-planning expertise, developed through her architectural training, within the framework of the 500-year-old Chinese art of placement. Recognizing that not everyone can afford a full home redesign or addition, Morotti offered more accessible consultations that focused on color schemes, furniture arrangements, and art placement — creating transformative, inspiring, and refreshing changes in her clients’ living spaces.
Throughout her career, Morotti continuted to create art as a personal joy, exhibiting her work at Dean JohnsonGallery
on Mass Ave and later in the home she and her husband, sculptor Scott Westphal, designed and built togetherin 2000. Their collaborative creation reflects theirsshared passion for design and artistry,embodying the harmony of two creative minds at work.
In 2022, Morotti’s artistic journey took a bold turn. Inspired by organic matter—kitchen scraps, fallen leaves and flowers, and other transient natural elements — she began crafting intricate sculptural designs. These ephemeral arrangements, embodying themes of impermanence and renewal, cannot exist indefinitely due to their fragile, temporal materials. Thus, photography became a necessity rather than a choice, the only means to preserve and share these fleeting compositions.
Guided by longtime Indianapolis photographer Wilbur Montgomery of WM Photographic Services, Morotti found a way to immortalize her sculptural works. Photography serves as the record of her creations, yet the heart of her art lies in the sculptural design itself — the deliberate interplay of textures, forms, and colors that capture life in transition.
Today, Morotti’s work invites viewers to reflect on the impermanence of beauty and the natural cycles of decay and rebirth, celebrating the overlooked artistry of organic matter in its final, fleeting moments.