Visual Conversations

When I first walked into Robert Morgan's gallery in Los Angeles, I was struck by a stunning colorful abstract painting. It was only after stopping and looking at the work straight-on that I realized the abstraction had clear images of three sevens reminiscent of a slot machine's winning roll. The subliminal message of the painting, called "Twenty One," was a clever welcome mat: "You are a winner." It turns out Morgan knows something about Las Vegas. He lived there when he studied art at the University of Nevada, and some of his paintings ended up on the NBC show Las Vegas. 

"The images I create are the physical expression of my imagination and the environment," says Morgan. "The mixture of numbers, letters and the symbols of language combine to evoke feelings of luck, pleasure, superstition, spirituality and history." 

Morgan likes creating signs. The images he chooses are a wacky take on signage from days gone by. These are signs one might imagine in the middle of deserted landscape with their neon lettering humming in the lonely darkness. His sense of humor is apparent with the words he chooses, such as his piece called "Saints and Sinners." 

Morgan's current work-in-progress, "Top Hat," is another neon sign. Against a clear blue sky, it combines a motel sign with a top hat and yes/no lettering. Morgan uses metallic pigments and decay created by oxidation and rust for the aged look. 

Visual conversation is what motivates Morgan, and the ideas in his imagination are often realized through the most simple images. "Something as simple as a plane of color or texture can elicit an emotional response," he says. "The addition of an interesting line, shape or symbol, furthers the dialog started by the optical image. The images and concepts in my mind manifest as a physical expression of color, texture and composition." 

Morgan's subject matter is not limited to letters and numbers. His work is wide ranging from abstracts to portraits, but even in these, it's likely numbers or letters will play an instrumental role, such as his tattoo man above called "Six Forty Five." Why "Six Forty Five?" Check out the man's wristwatch. The time is 6:45.

Morgan also works in photography, assemblage and sculpture.

His work can be seen by appointment at his Los Angeles studio. More info is available at his website, robertmorganart.com.