Inviting You In

I recently deleted all subscribers who don’t regularly read my newsletter. I want my work, the what, the how and the why to resonate and add value to you. If you are reading this, you are part of a small tribe of art lovers that I want to dance with in 2018. Welcome to the party.

We live in a world that is increasingly digitized and commoditized. But we will always need experiences and encounters that are singularly analog. My artmaking is how I connect. I sometimes feel guilty about hoarding all these amazing connections and experiences to myself.

This year I want to share more of the magic. I want to invite you in, closer to the experience.

At first glance, there are a few obstacles to this. I am an introvert. I am a perfectionist with what I paint. The whole process is quiet and intimate for me. But I have an idea of how we can dance together. What I have in mind does not require a megaphone or for you to get paint on your clothes. Check it out:

This big white bus was purchased by the St. Francis Center in Redwood City in order to transport kids from their youth center and school on field trips, primarily for outdoor and educational adventures.

The bus is in need of an artistic transformation for a few reasons:
1. To reflect the inspiring mission and purpose of the bus.
2. Mural art is a proven deterrent to illegal tagging.
3. To foster appreciation of our natural environment to other drivers and the local community that will encounter the van as it fulfills it’s purpose.

You can find out more about the important work the St. Francis center is doing to support economically disadvantaged families with their social services programs by visiting their website here.

Jump to Morgan’s kickstarter campaign for the bus mural project.

I invite you to share in this win with me. Besides the warm glow you will feel at the inaugural celebration, singing camp songs on the bus with me and some of the families that will be blessed by the new van, at each donation level you will also receive a piece of my art. Up to six donors will receive a hand touched, wrapped canvas print of Bike Path.

The “Tesla Visionary”, the top reward for one lucky donor will be either a an original work of art, Ridge Winery at Dusk, or a custom portrait of your kids. Because this project is all about the kids, here are examples of portraits I recently completed:

I worked with Sister Christina in 2010 when I painted this mural on the wall of their newly opened Siena Youth Center. Here is a photo of the grand opening celebration with the mural in the background:

I took this project on because I believe in the work the St Francis Center is doing. Painting art on this van will have a ripple effect on the kids and the immediate community as well as commuters it passes on the freeway. A mobile mural has the potential to reach more people than a wall mural, and might inspire drivers to head into nature for a hike.

Join me in transforming the Siena Youth Center van with art by visiting my campaign on Kickstarter here:

Join Morgan’s Win-Win Kickstarter Campaign!

I already love Kickstarter. It is set up with rewards so the donors and recipients both win. There is also risk baked in to the proposal: If the full amount isn’t raised, none of the money is used. It’s all of us together or nothing. We have just nine days to do this. The campaign ends January 31.

I have never painted a bus. I don’t know how this will turn out. But this time, I won’t be taking the leap on my own. We’ll do it together. And when the day comes that a bus full of kids in a van covered in beautiful artwork is driving along next to you on the freeway, you will say, “Hey, I made that joy happen!”

I look forward to taking this adventure with you!

With love,

P.S. I just read The War of Art by Neil Gaiman, and it might be my favorite book ever. Check it out.

P.P.S. Before you get the book, don’t forget to visit my kickstarter page to help get the bus painted.