| Mike Morgan's Surreal Art |
Below is an artical written by Peta Stavelli from the Waiheke Gulf News about her visit to Mike Morgan's studio.
This week I continue my visits to the studios of artists with a visit to Mike Morgan's studio at Rocky Bay.
I must confess that I had been really looking forward to this because Mike had already given me years of pleasure. Not Mike exactly, though any close proximity to Mike is always pleasurable, not the least for his unconventional appearance, but more because of his wild laugh, which in turn makes me laugh.
No!..... most of the pleasure has been derived from a painting I won a few years back in a raffle run by the Omiha Recreation Society to purchase an access way to Whakenewa from Rocky Bay. Fired up with enthusiasm for the cause I undertook to sell two books, which I then forgot to sell so I bought both of them and won Mike's painting.
This is one of my most prized possessions and the best $50 I ever invested. Not only is it brilliant, thought provoking and the right colour for my lounge suite, it has doubled in value as Mike now exhibits regularly in New York.
Around midday I drove along Fairview Crescent, slowed down around 43 and looked out for 55 on the left. I found the number, parked the car and noted that there was a place to hang a sign but there was no sign. Nothing felt right. I checked the number in my notebook and matched it with the street number. That at least was right, so I continued down the gravel path through a forest, so neat it seemed to have been freshly manicured. A rope rail and lights had been thoughtfully provided, a well constructed bridge crossed a small stream,. I could see a small wooden box up ahead on a tree. I hoped this would give me an indication that I was on the right path. As I drew parallel to the box, a gnome whistled at me. Cheeky bugger I thought. A little further on I could see a dwelling and hear running water. As I passed the pond a huge plastic frog croaked at me. Ah! I thought, I am in the right place.
This is the paradoxical wit and personality of Mike Morgan. Six Gnomes scattered around a series of six ponds, complete with pumps and waterfalls and home to around 100 fish. A tiny (but perfectly formed) cottage containing over 150 wild, witty and wacky works of art....everything in order. The CD's meticulously arranged, the stereo has a dust cover, every book on the shelf stands upright....I am stunned.
I look around and find what looks like another series - scantily clad women. Magnificent bottoms, beautiful breasts. The Twins Admire the Obelisk depicts two such perfect bottoms as "the twins" look towards One Tree Hill.
Mike does commissioned works and received another just as I arrived. I asked him how he went about a commissioned work and he told me that he starts with a list of instructions from the people for whom the work is destined and then adds some words of his own. The result is a creative partnership and a work which depicts milestones, places, events and the occupations of the recipients, a story of their lives embellished with creative genius.
Mike started painting in the seventies, producing about ten paintings in that decade. In the eighties it was much the same until Mike left his job as a steel worker in 1989 then he was able to spend more time painting. But it was not until he moved to Surfdale in 1991 and Rocky Bay two years later that he started to paint full-time. Since then he has completed about 700 paintings...sometimes painting for up to 14 hours at a time, less in Summer than in Winter.
I asked Mike what he did for recreation. Clearly a man with that prodigious outpouring of creative works must have a reclusive temperament, I thought. But no, this humble man who claims his talent fluctuates and who lives alone, close to the natural world and in tune with the seasons, also likes to lair up in the city on a Friday night, visit friends and have a few drinks. Last week he went to Cirque De Soleil and says that he is still dreaming abou it. Vivid dreams, colourful surreal creatures, grotesqueries. It sounds like the work of Mike Morgan.
1983 Solo Exhibition of oil paintings - Basement Gallery
1984 Group Show - Basement Gallery
1985 "Auckland Oils" Kitchener Gallery
1985 Exhibition of oil paintings "Last and First Cafe"
1986 "Faces" Exhibition - Kitchener Gallery
1989 Birkenhead Award Finals - received prize for "North Shore Theme"
1990 Manart Group Exhibition, Gallery 191
1991 Auckland Children's Hospital Exhibition, Air New Zealand Foyer, Aotea Centre, Auckland
1991 "Reverie' Exhibition, Rita Webster Galleries, Parnell, Auckland
1991 Group Exhibition, Artworks, Waiheke Island
1991 Ginalist in Telecom Art Award
1992 Solo Exhibition, Rita Webster Galleries, Parnell, Auckland
1991 "Across the water" Group exhibition, Howick, Auckland
1993 'Around the Table" Series exhibition, Ponsonby Galleries, Ponsonby, Auckland
1993 "Retrospective" Solo Exhibition, Ponsonby galleries, Ponsonby, Auckland
1994 "Under the Umbrella" group exhibition, Art by the Sea Gallery, Devonport, Auckland
1994 "Nature's Enchantment" Anora Gallery, Soho, New York
1995 "Dirersions" Solo Exhibition Art by the Sea Gallery, Devonport, Auckland
1995 "The Creative Eye" Groupl show, Agora Gallery, Soho, New York
1995 "Tripping the light Fantastic" group show, Artworks, Waiheke Island
1996 "Perrennial Offerings" Exhibition, Waiheke Community Art Gallery
1996 "Outsider Art" groupl show, Oedipus Rex gallery
1996 "Off the ledge" A.S.A. Gallery
1997 "The second coming" Exhibition, Waiheke Community ARt Gallery
1997 Finalist, Telecom Art Awards
1997 Finalist, Waiheke Art Award
1997 Jazz Poster selected for 1998 Jazz Festival, Waiheke Island
1997 Two paintings selected for finals of "Art & Faith" exhibition, Auckland Anglican Cathedral
1997 Allegory Visualisation", Agora Gallery, Soho, New York
1998 "Island Life" Oedipus Rex Galery, Auckland, New Zealand
1999 Group show, Letham Gallery, Ponsonby, Auckland
1999 "Arts Desire", Groupl show, Warkworth, NZ
1999 "Them or Us" Solo Exhibition, Waiheke Art Gallery
1999 "As Far as the Eye Can See", group show, Mairangi Arts Centre, Auckland
1999 "And So To Bed" Exhibition, Group show, Waiheke Art Gallery"
2000 Work selected for Soho Internaitonal art Competition, New York
2001 "Circus Mount Eden" auctioned at Artists in Mount Eden
2001 Group show "Blokes Exhibition" Artworks, Waiheke Island
2001 Group show Arts Desire, Warkworth NZ
2001 Group show Artworks, Waiheke Island
2001 Group show Arts Desire, Warkworth New Zealand
| The paintings in Gallery One have all been sold but Mike assures me that any of them can be reproduced again. Most of the art in Gallery Two is still available for sale. Prices will be given on enquiry. Mike also does commissioned work working from drawings, descriptions, photographs or a personal visit. Contact can be made by email or phoning Mike direct on (64) 09 3729419 Surface mail can be sent to: Mike Morgan 55 Fairview Cres, Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand |