Artist statement:
My work is often considered ‘outsider’ art as I am self-taught and wasn’t supervised or directed vis-a-vis a master painter or an established art school. Because my interests extend well beyond a specific style or subject, my artwork stands on its own though I have employed various ‘isms’ to convey my awe of the subject. And, of course, I have been influenced by what I’ve researched and seen and have thus employed a variety of techniques to establish my talent, and further my challenge of self. My one guiding principle has been the pursuit of beauty and capturing the poetic moments of being.
I started painting at age eight, about the time I began to see myself as apart from the norm. Every child experiences this sense of separateness; art has been my vehicle of investigation, and thus my way to convey the world I understand. Any component of identity I discovered hence influenced what I created, whether it was my Welsh heritage, my being a white male, my sexuality, or the fact that I grew up in southern California, the son of movie industry parents. This, too, is true of all artists: we all bring a unique understanding of our own maturation, growth, accomplishment and failure. However, none of it matters as much as the choices we are able to make along the way. Success is not who you are but what you do.
You can see more of Morgan’s work at: www.morganj.com and www.morganjart.com