A few drawings from the sketchbook...

 At night while scratching away with the old ink and quill, these are some of the strange people that come out through my pen. 

The warning rants from some guy who was there, who saw it all...

Was it aliens, or a pack of wild monkeys? Who knows but this guy? Better listen.











An old man drinking away his memories....

Vern's shocking discovery

New work in progress...

"Off to War Mom" in progress...

My wife has been a photojournalist for 15 years. As the wars unfolded, I recall that amongst many of the males in the profession there was this adventurist mind-set about shooting the war.  Maybe they were eager for the survivalist adrenaline rush. Man and gear staying alive in Hell.  Boys are like that. Movies give us this romantic notion of a tortured mind and an invincible strength.

This young man, on his home-made combat-ready rolling chair, is the embodiment of how well prepared I felt many of these men would be had they actually gone.

There's always this character lurking around in my mind. He scrawled out of my head shortly after my leg was amputated. He landed on the flip-side of my medication chart (pictured in a post a few months ago regarding atheism). I haven't a name for him yet, nor am I even sure where he's going. Born from my love of the macabre and probably the narcotics, he is a strolling figure of mystery, magic, and intensity.

Just for the hell of it, here's an Artist Statement:

For me, the excitement of being an artist is in the challenge of noticing the grandeur in a sublime moment, then interpreting that into a tangible scene of the human soul, alive and wild. I create figurative art so that I can share the energy of the human spirit as a raw and powerful force of imagination and perseverance. I am inspired by dignity and determination; traits often found in the virtues of the underdog. I’m painting for those who are strong in the mind and heart. Hoping to inspire empathy for those who struggle, and awe for those who overcome.

Integrity is very important to me. The characters I create are a composite of emotions and impressions that I get from a particular person I pass, or see riding through the streets of the city. I will sketch them in my pocket book, catching their spirit and gesture as quickly as I can before the fleeting moment is gone. As a passionate environmentalist and a fixer of simple machines, I am naturally in love with bicycles and the wonderful people who ride them. The materials I use are simple and basic: wood panels, raw ink, vinyl house paint, and oil.  These lend themselves to the esthetic of wild simplicity and allow for great gesture and depth. Virtues I seek in each person I represent in a work of art.

I spent many years learning to paint in the more traditional style of oil on canvas, but it is drawing, and the expressive energy of ink splashed, and paint thrown, that I love. My style is rooted in realism and figurative drawing, with abstract lines that become atmosphere and figures who are alive and present.  In creating this semi-fictional menagerie of those who impress me the most, I’m trying to capture the madness and bliss of city life.

Brian Morgan

"The Cuckoo Nest", oil and india ink on wood, 24x48"

Now hanging on the walls at Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago. Prints are available in a limited edition of 100. They are 9x18"  giclee prints on archival paper. The original is $1500, and the prints are $75.00.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Atheist

It bothers me that the common perception of Atheists is that we are devil worshiping, evil people, with no morals or values. At the bottom of this page is a link to a refreshing study and an affront to that misperception.

As the study shows, Atheists simply do not need the threat of going to hell to convince them to do what is right.  They do it because this is how people should behave. Atheists do not worship the Devil. They do not believe in either a superior being or its evil counter part. They have no need of religion.


Atheists often see religion as an archaic way of teaching society the basic laws of behavior. Pretty much every religion shares the common message of treating our fellow people with kindness and not causing harm against them, and each has it's own frightening results of not minding the rules. Modern times brought people together to form governments, which laid down similar rules for citizens to follow with the threat of punishment if the rules were broken.  At this point religion lost its universal control over all the people of the land and it became a personal choice for one to follow, or not (depending on where you live). Fortunately, our country was founded by people who thought that men and women of all beliefs could live together peacefully as long as they obeyed the common laws of the land. This would be why they adamantly called for the separation of church and state. So that no singular religious types could oblige others to follow beliefs they did not share. (That is what churches and synagogues, etc.  are for...members of each religious organization should indeed follow the rules set forth by the interpreters of their holy books.). One needn't present examples to express their disgust over how very often those who are religious themselves fail to remain true to the standards of their beliefs.

Atheism is freedom from interpretation. It is the faith of believing in yourself and being responsible for all that you do. When one is true to themselves their character is strong and optimistic.  That's what this world needs. Not a collision of ideologies gripping over private issues, but people who are courteous to their neighbors, who lend a helping hand and kindly mind their own business.

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/04/30/religionandgenerosity/

                                                       The Cuckoo Nest

First painting of the year.  Inspired by the vast amount of Americans who've been laid off since the economic crash began.  Our jobs are being steadily wiped out. If you're still holding on to that job you've had for ten years, you are probably under paid, over worked, giving up benefits, and on the brink of losing your mind as you absorb the responsibilities of all those who've been let-go before you. It helps if you make airplane noises while viewing this. 

(The Cuckoo Nest, copyright 2012 Brian Morgn, india ink and acrylic paint on douglas fir, 24"x48", white wood frame)

 

Revolution 2012

 

Inciteful

Officer John Pike has struck a chord with our national psyche. The images of Pike casually pepper-spraying a group of college students as they peacefully protested signaled a disconnect between the power holders and the powerless majority.

When FOX News aired its coverage on the pepper-spraying attack, correspondent Megyn Kelly said “it’s a food product essentially...” and fellow correspondent Bill O’Reilly responded with, “we shouldn’t be Monday morning quarter-backing the police anyway...its a liberal campus.”

In this way, FOX News deliberately misleads viewers into believing that being liberal somehow warrants police abuse. Studies show that those who watch FOX News know less about current events and answer more questions incorrectly than those who watch or listen to no news at all. 

I felt it necessary to make the connection between the ignorance and violent nature of this officers actions and the inciteful rhetoric that is the mainstay of Fox News. 

(Inciteful, india ink with vinyl and acrylic paint on birch wood, with raw steel frame, 24x24x1.5" copyright 2011 Brian Morgan)