Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Discover Tony Morgan -An Interview.


Subject: Tony Morgan

Published Works: Throwing Bones (2009), The Chicken Leg Bone Boy (2008), Paranoiacritical 333 (1998-2008)

Current Project: The Chronicles of Van Helsing (2010)

“Dark but elegant.” -Merrick, The Sequential Art Gallery

Ext. Night. Broadway St. Portland, Oregon. It is raining. It feels very appropriate as my friends and I walk down Broadway looking for The Sequential Art Gallery. I don’t see sign; it’s not more than three feet in front of me. Adam calls out, “this must be the place.”

I look and see the Gunbaby Graphics sign; the words are lit up in the window of the gallery, the door next to it. We shuffle in, out of the rain. Tony Morgan greets us as we enter. He is the artist I came to write about. I shake his hand and say hello. I want to look around first. I haven’t been to a gallery show in a year or so and that one was a bit stuffy; this show however, was more like a cozy get-together of friends who all had the same appreciation for the art displayed. It was comic art, no, sequential art. Art that told a story. The geek in me grinned.

I began with the portraits I most want in my collection. I had seen prints at the Olympia show where I first met Morgan but this time, I was looking at the originals. “Just Sitting on Top O’ Dis Wall” an ink and acrylic on paper, a one page comic strip, makes me grin with it’s Humpty-Dumpty feel and the creepy bald-headed-baby-men.

My favorite, “Attack of the Sea Monkey’s” a throw back to old pulp fiction book covers, has a chimpanzee in an old divers suit –helmet off- screaming in rage and ready to attack. My description can’t justify its nostalgic brilliance. Later, I would ask him about this piece. I discovered it was part of a themed show of sequential art. Morgan revealed, “I have a short story for it too.” My eyes lit with interest.

“I’ve got the story plotted, and the first page or two storyboarded, but it’s still a ways from being finished, since it will be fully painted. Sometime in the next year, I think,” Morgan replied.

Moving to the next piece, I discovered a very familiar painting. A pin-up Morgan recently completed for Adam Watson’s “The Chronicles of Van Helsing” –coming in 2010 from Darkslinger Comics. Not surprising, it was the first piece sold, selling within the first half-hour of the show!

I followed the crowd around a corner. A painting hung on the wall before me, the whole wall. I got close, wanting that tactile feeling of the canvas but found contentment in my gazing. The description read, "Li'l Lies" oil on canvas, 72" x 45". I stepped back and sat on the black leather couch, the center of the gallery. My eyes transfixed on the painting before me. Something eerily terrifying and proverbial struck me. I studied the picture of a woman who sat on her legs, looking as though she’s fatigued from crying but no longer shedding tears. Her dress, perhaps torn, sags at her waist revealing her ample breasts; one hand hides the other with lightly blood stained fingers. Strange flowers crawl out from the corner in front of her knee, a skull rests just beyond her thigh. I continue to examine every inch of this macabre portrait. The sky, if it wasn’t painted with waves of blue I would compare it with fire. Burning. Tugging at my heart, its dark center touched some deep sadness. She makes me morn without being sad.

I decided not to ask Morgan about this one, it stirs me and I do not want my feeling tampered with, for is not art in the eye of the beholder?

I have work to do; I move on.

Catching up with Anthony Alvarado, the author of “Throwing Bones,” I discovered the origins of the book.

Alvarado met Morgan at a backyard barbeque with mutual friends. A conversation over beer led to ideas for a collaboration.

“I came up with the original idea of constructing a deck of cards with archetypal images meant to foster creativity- although in the past I know that Philip K. Dick, for example, wrote the man in the High Castle, whilst consulting I-Ching. So using elements of randomness to spark creativity is an idea that has been around the block a few times (check out composers like John Cage) so, the original idea was to build a deck of cards. That would have involved Tony pretty much doing all the work though, so we came up with the idea of myself making a story for each word as well,” Alvarado told me.

Choosing, “archetypal primal meaty words [like], Forrest- I did a fairy tale; Toad- involves an alien; Horse- a '57 mustang… I don't want to give away the other ten for free (laughs)… the drawings and [stories] in the book pretty much sum up my thoughts and feelings about the words… Ideally what we'd like to do is come out with four volumes so we have 52 stories."

I decided to follow my instincts. To really discover Tony Morgan, I would need to learn about his journey. My upcoming interview was quickly becoming more of a mini bio. How did the opportunity to show his work in this gallery come about?

To answer that question I sought out the curator of The Sequential Art Gallery, Kaebel J.K. Hashitani.

“I first heard about Tony from our mutual friend, Brandon Seifert. Brandon mentioned this incredible art exhibit he saw in Fairbanks, Alaska, and that the artist's name was Tony Morgan. Brandon mentioned this several times more before I finally met Tony, at the Stumptown Comics Fest 2007. And his art was everything Brandon had said it was,” recounted Hashitani. “Side note: Brandon's recounting of Tony's show is now the forward to Tony's book, "ParanoiaCritical 333".

When it came to the show Hashitani said, “we began discussing an exhibit of his work around October 2008, when I asked him to be a part of my group show for December 2008. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do for a show at the time, but we had settled on November 2009 as his exhibition month, so there was time to determine the theme of the show. I wasn't concerned about the content for the show, given what I'd already seen of Tony's work. I figured it would be best to let ideas percolate in his head for a while. When he started working on the book with Anthony, that's when he said he knew what the show was going to entail.”

“Seeing the body of work thus far I said, whatever you want to do you have the space,” Hashitani replied when asked how the set up was decided upon.

Morgan had said his wife was going to show up. I had never met her, never seen a picture of her. But when I saw her, I knew, the beautiful hippie I would soon question was the Elsa Dye. She is his friend, his confident, his editor and ever his collaborator. They were high school sweet hearts and have been together ever since.

I found Dye to be quiet and perhaps a little shy. Her answers were short but answered with a grin. Asking about her own artistic inclinations she revealed her talent as a seamstress. Showing me pics on her phone I found her work to be of great talent. She is presently working on a Tudor/Victorian combo for a client and hopes to get into costuming. For my filmmaking and theater friends I would highly recommend her.

The night was dwindling down. I had met many creative people and found I must come back to First Thursdays as often as I can. I now felt well prepared to interview Tony Morgan and was looking forward to picking his brain the coming Saturday in Puyallup at Comic Evolution’s Mixed Bag of Nuts event.

DAY II.

Int. Day. Comic Evolution Puyallup, WA – Mixed Bag of Nuts comic event. It was pouring, I mean pouring. As comic creators began filing in, setting up their table space, I perused the wares of the “Purveyor of picture packed paperback publications and a plethora of peculiar pop culture paraphernalia” that is Puyallup’s Comic Evolution.

Noon rolled around the doors opened to the public. Not even the heavy rain could keep my fellow geeks away. Visitors and customers trickled in, soon filling the store with art and comic lovers of all ages.

With healthy crowd size, Tony Morgan and Anthony Alvarado seized the moment to perform an impromptu theatrical reading “Throwing Bones”. Morgan sat in a chair, Alvarado stood behind him and the make shift props were explained: a pen for a knife and an invisible glass of whiskey. The audience was held captive as Morgan playing a suicidal man spoke in a comical tone barely keeping a straight face and Alvarado, played the devils advocate or perhaps the devil himself, with the experience of a well vetted thespian.

“I can’t get drunk… I’m an alcoholic,” Morgan read and melodramatically acted out. Laughter filled the store. The two creators of “Throwing Bones” held us captive with the internal struggle of a character that could not see the possibilities life holds. The play ended with Alvarado’s red scarf wrapped around Morgan’s neck. The character dying as he finishes describing his first memory of snow. The tension relieved with Alvarado playfully comment, “I got a little into it.”

The event was winding down; my opportunity to interview Tony Morgan had arrived. I finally sat down with him and discussed his origins and found out how comics had played a role in his life and his future in the sequential arts.

Read the next blog for my one on one Q&A with Tony Morgan.

Part II. Tony Morgan: An Introduction

Tony Morgan was born and raised in the great state of Alaska. Graduating from Skyview High School in Soldotna, Alaska in 1993. He then moved to Seattle to attend Cornish College of the Arts earning his Bachelors Degree in Print with a minor in Sculpture in 1998. After college Morgan bounced around the country. First to New Mexico then Texas, Vermont, Maine and returned to Alaska before taking a general construction job at South Pole Station, Antarctica for a season. Before he settled in the Portland area where he’s been since.

As for work, Morgan, in addition to his artistic endeavors, owns and operates a metal shop. Describing his typical work routine Morgan says, “I just work all the time. You never have to start cause you never stop. My studio and shop are in my home so I can go back and forth. When the machine is on I can go in the studio and do a comic page.”

I sat down with Morgan determined to learn about this Alaskan turned Portlander artisan.

W/I C: Is there a story for why you “bounced” around the country, is there a creative or artistic reason?

Morgan: Yeah, I definitely have the wanderlust. Some of it may have to do with growing up in Alaska, and just wanting to get out and see what the rest of the country, and the world, had to offer. I would definitely like to do more traveling in the future, but Portland really feels like home now.

W/I C: You live near Vancouver, WA now. But your websites say you’re in Portland, OR. Could you clear this up?

Morgan: (smiles) I haven’t changed it yet. I’ve been in the new place for six months.

W/I C: So what inspired you to create your own comic?

Morgan: Comics not necessarily. I didn’t think I had the stamina for comics but once you get into it, it just flows.

W/I C: What was the first comic you ever read?

Morgan: No freakin’ idea, probably Archie. The collected superhero digest magazines. They had Superman, Plastic-Man, etc. There was an Aquaman story that was kinda creepy… and the self contained stories because where I grew up buying single issues was difficult to get a whole story so having the digest you got the whole story.

W/I C: Who, would you say are your biggest influences?

Morgan: Simon Beasley; Frank Miller; Alexis Neno; Mobius; there’s been so much stuff, Katsuhiro Otomo

W/I C: Sweet! An Otomo fan. What is your fave of his work?

Morgan: By far his best is Akira.

W/I C: I totally agree. I have to ask you though, I’m a big fan of the original dub-no patience for subtitles- what do you think about the new dub they did for the DVD release?

Morgan: I’d rather watch with the subtitles.

W/I C: You’re a purest. (Laughs) Okay back on topic. Do you have any groupies?

Morgan: The groupies? Sadly I haven’t had any genuine ones. Elsa is kinda like a groupie but I married to her.

W/I C: You sell prints of your work at cons. With the success of Paul Guinan’s Boilerplate book, do you have any plans to expand your audience to geriatrics by publishing a coffee table book of your prints?

Morgan: No plans of yet. (chuckles) Are geriatrics the only ones who buy them?

W/I C: (Laughs) I don’t know. Okay how were Mr. Freaky and The Chicken Leg Bone Boy conceived?

Morgan: Mr. Freaky just showed up. I take no responsibility for that. (smiles) Chicken Leg Bone Boy happened when I had a dream while driving through Canada. Well I wasn’t sleeping; you can’t sleep while your drive…

W/I C: (laughing) says you.

Morgan: I was nervous about entering into comics but was doing these strips so I sat down and made it. It was quite different than the original dream of course.

W/I C: Speaking of your first comic strips. What is ParanoiaCritical 333?

Morgan: It’s a collection of strips I did in a ten-year period. Mini-zine stuff. But The Chicken Leg Bone Boy was published first even though ParanoiaCritical was done first. The publication of it followed [CLBB].

W/I C: Brandon Seifert (Witch Doctor) wrote the forward for ParanoiaCritical 333, how did that come about?

Morgan: Brandon recounts the how in the forward. I choose him because he was one of the first to see the comics. I had a show in Alaska and he bought some of the strips.

W/I C: You have a minor in Sculpture. How often do you create sculptures?

Morgan: Often, but not as often as I draw. I'm working on a piece for the December show at Sequential Art right now.

W/I C: Do you have a favorite sculpture?

Morgan: Well, I have kind of a special attachment to some of the puppets I’ve made. They seem to have a certain amount of personality.

W/I C: How do you choose between a sculpture and a drawing when you have an image in your mind?

Morgan: It all depends on what I’m trying to do. And I often don’t have an image in mind when I start. That’s usually something that develops out of the process. Comics are maybe the one exception to that, since they require a certain amount of planning.

W/I C: How do you recharge your creative well?

Morgan: I like to travel when I can. I like to walk around in the woods. Sometimes dreams, dreams get better depending on what you are doing. And doing shows. Shows they get you wound up talking to people gets you excited about doing more.

W/I C: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given? Anthony Alvarado chimes in, “Live is a river.”

Morgan: (laughs) Allen Spiegel asked me, “Why the hell do you want to get into comics? It’s a lot of work and you don’t make any money.” That’s true but it doesn’t have to be. The best advice not to take. You do [comics] because you love it!

W/I C: Any pit falls you’ve learned to avoid?

Morgan: Probably. I’m not sure.

The proprietor of Comic Evolution adds his two cents, “Don’t go to Puyallup.”

W/I C: You are in the middle of a book tour for “Throwing Bones” can you tell us a little about the experience?

Morgan: It’s been fun to do a bunch of dates in a row as opposed to spread throughout the year. And promoting one thing has been fun with Anthony doing readings.

W/I C: What will your focus be in 2010?

Morgan: Anthony and I are going to keep working together and I’m working on Darkslinger stuff [The Chronicles of Van Helsing]. Jason [Pott] and I just finished a story but I don’t know when it’s coming out.

Excited about his upcoming project with Darkslinger Comics, Morgan says, “I can’t wait for all this to get over so I can start working on Van Helsing. Sometimes it’s good to get the anticipation up.”

He spies a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure commenting on how they look like the original comic by Mirage. We begin reminiscing on the Turtle merchandise we had as kids and what we still have. The time comes to break down our tables and pack everything up. Break down is a bit faster then set up. As it should be, there’s an after party to go to and we all want to see if Adam Watson is going to puke in his cup again.

Special Thanks to The Sequential Art Gallery – 328 NW Broadway St. Apt. 113 Portland, Oregon 97209; Kaebel, Merrick and Molly; Anthony Alvarado; Elsa Dye and of course Adam Watson for introducing me to everyone.

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