Thursday, June 28, 2012

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.