Two Day Sale of Works by Island Lake Artist Elizabeth Kuth

"Somehow in the West we think everything is a problem to be solved. I don’t think this way. You should be relaxed and enjoy oneself. Some painters have everything worked out in advance, all their colors, everything. That’s anathema to me. I start with canvas, and see what happens."
--Bill Morgan

I saw my first Elizabeth Kuth piece on the wall of a former director of the Duluth Art Institute. I made a mental note yo visit her studio some day. Eventually it came to pass, and I have been a fan ever since.

This weekend there will be a sale of Elizabeth Kuth paintings and drawings at her studio on Island Lake. It's my understanding that she is planning to move to be nearer her grandchildren, and thus is beginning to divest herself of some of the work she's created and accumulated.

I began with a Bill Morgan quote because Kuth is yet another local artist who was influenced by this UWS professor and painter. I love Bill's work, and have the same feeling for Kuth's paintings and drawing, produced in that same spirit of discovery and awe.

I took these photos of her work during a recent visit so they are not necessarily the ones on sale. That is, some of these images are  and a few are just shots I took because of a desire to share here, to whet the appetite and let you know that it will be worth the effort to make the trek.

E. Kuth PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS
Prices range from $95 to $350 for paintings and $35 to $125 for drawings. The artist will be painting when you get there.
4204 NE Van Rd
Oct 28-29. 10-5

* * * *

DON'T FORGET: One Day Only, Noon till Ten Saturday

HALLOWEEN BEGINS @ HALLOWADE

Local Art Seen: The Studio of Adam McCauley

Saturday afternoon I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the studio of Adam McCauley in the basement of his Lakeside home. As someone recently noted, he's incredibly prolific. He currently has a show featuring 42 pieces on display in Grand Rapids. I was there to pick up three pieces for next Friday's group show at Goin' Postal 8th Annual Fall Art Show featuring 15 to 18 local artists.

I've always enjoyed McCauley's explorations, so it was invigorating to have this opportunity to see more of his work, and the workspace it's created in. Married and the the father of a young son who plays soccer, he's worked in the restaurant trade for many years and also plays in a fairly edgy punk band. The twin passions of art and music not uncommon in artists or musicians.

As we entered the house he pointed out a Bill Morgan piece that he owns. I immediately had a better understanding of at least one of his influences. I checked  out a couple pieces that hung in the living room and then we descended to the basement, to his workspace. from there we climbed to the third floor attic space that has been finished off, providing storage for more work beneath its steeply pitched wings.

Designs both subtle and bold, textured and sparse, on canvases small and expansive, experiments and explorations that don't always work, while others producing marvelous effects. I suppose there are some who do not know how to appreciate non-representational and abstract designs. I find them intriguing, sometimes compelling, and nearly always interesting.

Here are some of the images I was able to capture this weekend. At least three of McCauley's pieces will be in our show Friday evening at Goin' Postal, 816 Tower Avenue, Superior.

Fodder for future designs.

I'm curious how many other artists are tucked away 

inside that network of Lakeside homes. 

Will we see you Friday?

Things He Left Behind: Bill Morgan Original Artwork For Sale

Originally from St. Louis, the late Bill Morgan taught art history and studio art at UWS here in the Twin Ports. When I learned of his passing in early 2016 I knew he would be missed by many. In my interviews with local artists I repeatedly came across artists whom he had influenced.

In 2012 I had the privilege of meeting him and spending an hour interviewing him. He shared with me how he came to be an artist himself and his approach to making art. "Somehow in the West we think everything is a problem to be solved. I don’t think this way. You should be relaxed and enjoy oneself. Some painters have everything worked out in advance, all their colors, everything. That’s anathema to me. I start with canvas, and see what happens. I’m not afraid of words. I see them as patterns. They can work as just a visual experience."

Morgan didn't just teach and inspire students, he was himself prolific. As a result, when he left us he left behind a large body of work.

I'd heard about an estate sale that was taking place last year and hoped to swing over that I might perhaps acquire one of his works. I has a schedule conflict, so was unable to attend. I was curious, though, where his many pictures may have dispersed to, hoping they wouldn't have ended up in a dumpster.

Earlier this month, out of the blue, I received a phone call from local painter Doris Sampson and learned where at least a portion of his things ended up.

Doris Sampson is a local artist who has been painting for more than fifty years here in Duluth. In my 2013 interview with Sampson I speculated that nearly everyone in Duluth was familiar with her work but simply didn't know it. Her paintings appear on walls in many local businesses including the DECC where one of her paintings of the Edmund Fitzgerald hangs. Sampson, who is likewise prolific, had attended an auction where some prints of her work were being sold. Serendipitously, Sampson saw that a large lot of Morgan's art was on the block to be sold. Rather than having the sold for a pittance, she snatched up the whole lot.

Some of the pieces in this collection brought to mind the work of a Spanish artist whose work I have followed in the past, Pere Salinas. You can check out his illustrations and designs here.

In an effort to bring them to market in a manner that respects their value, she has created a website and made them available for others to purchase and appreciate. Because I myself have found inspiration in Bill Morgan's work, I offered to share some of them here. All are 16"x 20" unless otherwise specified. To see more, or to purchase yourself, visit this web page featuring The William Morgan Collection.

You can get to know Bill Morgan more intimately by reading my interview with the artist. Or simply by enjoying his art, shared here.

This piece is 11"x 14"

Ah, to see the world as through the eyes of a child. All becomes wonder.

 Meantime, art goes on all around you. Engage it. 

Morgan Exhibit at Zeitgeist: Catch It If You Can

"The artist fills space with an attitude. The attitude never comes from himself alone." ~Willem de Kooning 

Last night was the opening for a new exhibition of paintings by Bill Morgan, a UWS professor with strong roots in the painting traditions. When we spoke earlier this month he shared his relish for abstract expressionism, and his love of applying paint to surfaces.

When I arrived a few minutes early it was like any quiet evening at this cafe in the Zeitgeist Arts Building. I looked around, walked upstairs and found Penny from Perry Framing placing name tags and putting finishing touches on the exhibit.

Since its opening a couple year back this balcony area has been showcasing artists' works, but never in such volume as this. Usually a few paintings have been spaced out casually against the restored brick walls that augment the feeling of an old country art space. Morgan's paintings were generously distributed as if the curator were saying, "I really want you to see as much of this work as possible because it's really worth seeing."

And it is worth seeing. Morgan arrived with his lovely wife after I had eyeball-scanned every surface. I'll return to enjoy the work another time when I can be more leisurely about it.

The pictures and paintings have been hung thematically. One section clearly shows the influence of Mexico. One piece is tagged Milagros, which is miracles in Spanish. Nearby is another titled Imaginary Mexican Chapel. There were a few of these and if you've been to a Mexican chapel you'll recognize echoes of the experience in these works.

In the back of the room there were several paintings with Japanese or Oriental influence, faces perhaps from the theater or a Samurai dream.

On the wall to your left at the top of the stairs are numerous pieces combining painting and collage, reminders of art movements that passed through the mid-twentieth century. The collages included words and though Morgan had said they were simply design elements, one had to wonder when the word Mapplethorpe descended from the sky in one of these grey designs.

There is great variety in terms of color, sometimes vibrant sometimes muted, and theme, but overall the collection hangs together as the work of a man who seems to love the creative process, of making pictures moving paint around within defined spaces. I encourage you to catch the show...

Looking for a place to grab a bite downtown? What a great environment for enjoying a fabulous lunch.

Notes from a Lunch Hour with Artist Bill Morgan

Jeredt Runions, a local painter and curator who has been active in the arts community, said I really needed to meet Bill Morgan, an art instructor at UWS for whom he had the highest regard. In late March as I walked past Perry Framing in Duluth I saw some striking pieces that really grabbed me. I entered the storefront with my eyes alive, wanting to snap photos of everything. I was told they were Bill Morgan’s and were being prepared for an upcoming show next door at the Zietgeist. This was the spark that led me to call Runions to set up our meeting.

The first Monday in April I slid over to UWS during my lunch hour to meet this creative spirit whose work so resonated with me. I found my way to the third floor and was directed to the end of the hall where I met a congenial man who welcomed me to his lair. To his left were piles of well-thumbed art books with colorful covers. I could have spent the rest of the day in this space, but I only had the hour.

Originally from St. Louis, Morgan teaches art history and studio art here in Superior.

EN: What are the key ideas you try to get your students to understand?
Bill Morgan: Somehow in the West we think everything is a problem to be solved. I don’t think this way. You should be relaxed and enjoy oneself. Some painters have everything worked out in advance, all their colors, everything. That’s anathema to me. I start with canvas, and see what happens. I’m not afraid of words. I see them as patterns. They can work as just a visual experience.

I began with traditional oil painting. I was trained traditionally… gesso, sanding, etc. Eventually I began to use acrylics. I used to make tons of watercolors, which was second to oil. Acrylics didn’t mix well at first. Then I saw students using them and finally began to see there had been improvements.

EN: How did you first come to take an interest in art?
Bill Morgan: So many people tell me they had parents who didn’t want them to go into art. I had the opposite experience. My grandpa was an architect. Grandma designed debutante ball gowns… ritzy stuff. I grew up watching grandpa draw and grandma designing clothes. I was totally encouraged to take up art. I had art in high school and junior high, and took college level art during summers.

Washington University in St. Louis had some very good teachers. I had a lulu of a teacher in physics but most of my teachers were helpful and enthusiastic. I liked being a student. A lot of my students, their attendance is iffy. I never get sick.

EN: When you were a young art student, did you have any ideas about where art was going in the next 30 years?
Bill Morgan: First thing I was aware of -- St Louis had a very good art museum – was African art and cubist art. I became interested in art history very early. There was a magazine published only for a couple years called It Is that was put out by abstract expressionists. In with them was De Kooning and Clyfford Still, among others. I loved the way they handled paint. I loved their work. That and museum-going influenced me.

Pop art came to me as a jolt, but then I began to like it. I especially liked American art. European art was secondary, though I loved Miro and Picasso. The artist I did not relate to was Matisse.

I didn’t have trouble with Minimalism. A lot of these things I can appreciate but they don’t influence me. Minimal art is so serious. Without a little humor it’s a pretty bad trip.

EN: In what ways has the direction art has gone surprised you?
Bill Morgan: I think the problem started with Happenings, though I liked Happenings. There’s a lot of stuff that looks like a pile of garbage and I just don’t get it.

EN: What is the role of art museums today?
Bill Morgan: I’m still very much a museum-goer and gallery-goer. I think a lot of art is just for shock value and I think shock value should be over with. I don’t have much use for it and I don’t know that it should be encouraged in the university. You have to learn the basics. Not everything you touch is going to be good, though I do believe in fortuitous accidents.

EN: What’s your take on the Twin Ports arts scene?
Bill Morgan: I’m surprised there’s so much art going on, everywhere. There’s a lot going on up here. You come across it accidentally… it’s very rewarding and intriguing.

EN: Who have been your biggest influences as an artist and why?
Bill Morgan: Favorite artists, though I am not influenced by them... I’m the biggest fan of Edvard Munch, though I don’t use his images or style. I love his work. His style is just smoking. At the same time, James Ensor, I love his work. I don’t have any of that bitterness in my work. I had a wonderful childhood, a beautiful childhood.

One of the artists I dislike in history is Renoir, though many like his work. There’s a lot of art I don’t understand. Seurat … I don’t get that… you can keep him off the streets.

EN: Your take on Dali?
Bill Morgan: I talked about him today. I grew up loving him, but then all of a sudden I discovered abstract expressionism and for a while loathed him. Now I like him again. He’s complicated. Some people are total voyeurs, and he’s a total voyeur.

EN: And digital art?
Bill Morgan: I wouldn’t have anything against it. It’s just a tool. I just haven’t seen anything I like. Photography can be a fine art, but there is so much that is so bad.

EN: Why are artists an important part of a community?
Bill Morgan: Anybody who enhances or even decorates life is beautiful. Like good food and good wine… It can be puzzling, but it enhances life and makes life better.

Thank you, Bill, for your time. We're looking forward to your April 23 opening at the Zeitgeist Cafe.