Conversations with Brett Morgan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Morgan.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I wasn’t born with a paintbrush in my hand. In fact, the opposite, I was born color blind. As a red/green deficient person, I’ve moved through life with every image I see like a faded Polaroid picture. Despite this weakness and what some might consider a crippling disability to make art, I was provided an iceberg of strength by being exposed to different cultures and art as a military brat while living in Japan, Germany, and the United States at a young age.

Through traveling, I found serenity in drawing but never took it seriously. When I reached high school, I found myself casually sketching in art class. After high school graduation, I had an international trip planned, and as an undercover nerd, I needed some reading material. I discovered a treasure that took the shape of a hole-in-the-wall comic book shop.

As I browsed through the stacks of comics, my fascination grew through the depiction of the human form conveyed within the multitude of art, artists, and their illustrations. This created a thirst within that I have yet to be able to quench. I started taking local art classes. These classes felt like small sips out of a big pool, so I took the plunge and enrolled in art school.

After living a dream, being flooded and submerged in my passion, I graduated from art school. Then I found myself traversing through a desert of the starving artist life. Despite the trials and turmoils of that lifestyle, and holding no ill will towards that season of my life, I consider myself grateful it provided the opportunity for me to align the skills and tools I had gathered along with the library of knowledge gained throughout life. At this point in my life, I feel I am only beginning to dip my toes into the water of the art world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with any story, the biggest lessons come with the greatest struggles. Or, a better and more well-known quote, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t say that attending and paying for art school has all but broken me financially.

I believe I was a little immature when I made the decision to go but I also don’t regret the decision. The impact and struggles it has placed in my path are undeniable. But, it seemed, the only path to go was forward. I had made the decision whether it be immature or not. And because it was my decision, I needed to own the consequences that came from it.

Another hard lesson to be learned was digging deep within myself and understanding what I wanted to make. Where am I unique? What kind of work is calling to me? What is it about that work that is calling to me? How do I use the previous questions to fuel what I am being called to make? A lot of simple questions but a lot of complex answers.

After art school, I attempted to create every different kind of work that seemed feasible or would provide the opportunity to make money. This led to making illustrations, comic book pages, clothing designs, logos, commissions, and anything else that fell under that umbrella. I am grateful for those opportunities and understand the knowledge that was gained through working the broad assortment of tasks, but it didn’t create a plan or vision that I could provide to anyone with the expectation they would “see” me and the work I created.

Through that marathon of a struggle, I made the decision that I needed to narrow in on what I was creating and it needed to align with what I wanted to create and it needed to be consistent. At that time, I felt that confidence would (and did) come with consistency.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I operate in the realm of portraiture, where I can capture a unique perspective of people with depth and accuracy. My work is seen as gestural and experimental, utilizing pens and inks, conte crayons, paint markers, and a limited palette of oil paint on glass.

If I were to pick an aspect of my work that sets me apart from others, the mediums I use seem to vary from the more traditional tools utilized for portraiture. From a higher perspective, creating a series of works, the conceptualization of my work, and the layers of depth I imbue into my pieces provide a sense of alignment and accuracy of the subject matter.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I find it hard to anticipate the direction of the fine art world over the years and feel I am better off not attempting to paint that picture. For myself, I will do my best to move in the direction that aligns with the goals, dreams, and personal aesthetics that speak to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artofbrettmorgan/