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. 

The Versatile Doris Sampson and More, March 8

Snapshot of Doris Sampson's more recent interests.

Duluth, MN ~ Tomorrow night's gallery hopping here in the Twin Ports has some extra-special treats. In addition to the TEXT show at the Prove which I shared here Tuesday there are the usual events at Ochre Ghost and Washington Gallery, and there are bonus openings at Double Dutch, on the corner of Lake and Superior, and Doris Sampson's opening at Just for the Season Gallery in the Holiday Center. The time to plan your trek is now.

I'm willing to guess that everyone in the region is familiar with Sampson's work but doesn't know it. Her series of paintings featuring the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and subsequent rescue efforts can be seen in numerous locations around the Twin Ports, from the Canal Park Marine Museum to Fitzgerald Hall in the DECC to the reception areas of numerous Twin Ports business establishments. Her skills in are well honed when painting realism, especially the angry sea.

But Sampson is much more than this. I visited her home/studio in West Duluth a couple years ago and was impressed by her range. She is a superb draftsperson who has creatively poured herself into her work for over four decades now. I look forward to seeing what she exhibits tomorrow because Ms. Sampson not only has an imagination, but the talent to do something with it.

Sampson's show is called The Versatility of Doris Sampson, and if you're available during the day she's doing an artist demonstration from noon till 3 p.m. Opening reception will be from 4 p.m. till 7 p.m.  Just for the Season Gallery isn't "just for the season" and if you work downtown you should make it a monthly destination to see what's new. Sampson's work will be featured there through the end of March.

Double Dutch at 1 W. Superior St. is a welcome addition to the gallery crawl that takes place on the second Friday each month downtown.  Tomorrow eve they will feature artwork by Brian Ring and Ryan LeMahieu with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m.

Over at the Ochre Ghost photographer Andy Hartman is showing his work from 7-11 p.m., two blocks down the alley from the Prove show that is featuring 19 artists this month. And two blocks up the hill from the TEXT Show you'll find a two woman show by artists Mary Hunt and Monica Ares. Their opening runs from 4:30-8 p.m, so my guess is to catch it all, you may start with Just for the Season, hop up to Washington and then find a place to park down on First Street. (That's my plan, anyways.)

Hunt’s show is titled “Privacy No More,” dealing with privacy in a digital age. Hunt has an MFA from the University of Delaware but left academia eight years ago to work on her own. She now lives and works in Washington Studios Artist Cooperative.

Ares’ exhibit is titled “Beneath Perceptions.” Her images are created with various media including oil on masonite, graphite on Mylar and more. Personally, I can't wait to take it all in.

Hope to see you on the scene.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

Opening stanzas, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot

I've mentioned before my grandmother's influence in my becoming an artist. She dabbled a little with painting and I have at least one of her pieces -- There Is None So Blind As Him Who Will Not See -- inexpert in execution, but thoughtful and thought provoking.

Grandma Sandy had a friend who really could paint. We always called her Mrs. Crumpett. The pieces I saw were superb renditions of ocean waves crashing on a rocky New England coast. My grandmother owned a couple of them. As a young art student enamored with Picasso and Dali, realistic depictions of oceans didn't impress me that much at the time.

Fast forward 35 years.

I find it impossible to be anything but impressed by the realists in our midst. It's a skill that was painstakingly cultivated. With the advent of the camera and photography, art was liberated from the need to be tied to reality reproduction. Do we need a picture of the king? There are a dozen photojournalists who will document anything and everything for you.

Yesterday on the plane I read that Napoleon was a supporter of the arts and maintained a staff of artists. If you don't support them out of season, you certainly won't find the talent you want when you do finally wish for a life sized portrait of yourself. As busy as he was (for the duration of his reign he was at war except for 14 months) he still found time to strike a pose now and then.

So we come full circle to events like the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater body in the world, but its Northern climate makes it a hostile environment for a portion of the year. The thousand foot ore boats and transportation of other goods begins in spring and ends in late fall. The fisherman here respect her power, however, and know that the lake's calm can quickly turn deadly. So there is always an uneasy apprehension on the lake for even the most stalwart seamen here.

It seems strange that in 1975, when the ship and its crew of 29 went down, our Apollo spacecraft had already left the moon six years earlier. We may believe we can conquer space, but the wreck of the Fitzgerald is a grim reminder that nature still has her furies.

This is where the artist comes in. When the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, rescue boats were sent to find survivors who might be still somewhere in that terrible storm. There were no cameras snapping pictures or photojournalists putting their necks on the line that night. Doris Sampson made it her passion, therefore, to capture the frightening tension of that experience through art. The result is a series of paintings depicting the lost ship and the attempt at rescue.

I visited with Doris in her West Duluth studio a couple months ago and have been mulling how to best introduce others to her work. She is a superb draftsperson who has creatively poured herself into her work for many decades. When the opportunity arises I will undoubtedly try to visit again. The next best thing to being there is visit her online studio. There is a lot more here than you might initially imagine, because Ms. Sampson not only an imagination, but the talent to do something with it. Enjoy.