I’ve spent a great portion of my life in illustration, for both personal reward and employment. I’ve illustrated books for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, as well as a book of my mother’s memories growing up in the Depression in Nora, Nebraska; and more recently, with a grant from California Arts Council/Upstate California Creative Corp, an illustrated book of my husband Dale Morgan’s song lyrics from The Honest Earth, from which I created a video animation that can be viewed on my YouTube channel, kitschntikis. Video animation is one of my current art interests.
My employment as head artist in a screen printing shop and working as a magazine editor have led to immersing myself in illustration and writing. Those two art forms are so intertwined in my view. I always feel like I have to tell a story with my art. Sometimes I’ve joked about “art-‘splaining”, in other words, explaining what you mean in your art! It’s kind of like I can’t just let the picture tell the story, oh no. (But sometimes I do allow myself that privilege.)
Much of my life has been devoted to helping bring awareness to environmental issues, as I have a deep belief in the ability to effect change with education, as well as with art. A lot of my art has environmental meaning; this is dear to my heart.
Title: The Honest Earth Illustrated Lyrics Book
Photo: The Honest Earth Book for Crescent Harbor
Description:
Sixteen pen and ink drawings, illustrating the lyrics to “The Honest Earth,” a song written by my husband Dale Morgan. The lyrics celebrate and focus on nature, the earth, and the wonderful creatures in it. $24, includes shipping.
Title: Fashionably Bored
Photo: Fashionably Bored
Description:
19”x25” Print/Poster, Arrogant visitors come to the house, dressed to the gills and bored ta’ death. The visitors are depicted as vultures, and I must (grudgingly) wait on them. Even a broken leg cast is haute couture. $50, includes shipping.
Title: Tribute to Edward Abbey, diorama NFS at this time
Photo: Edward Abbey
Description:
This diorama is my tribute to Edward Abbey’s writing as a park ranger in the 1950s, and his cynical take on tourists who don’t understand the quiet ecology and beauty of the desert; who desecrate the parks with their loud vehicles, garbage and righteous attitudes; and who show very little respect to nature itself.
This is a humorous piece. The tourist who met his untimely demise in my art project? Well, according to sources familiar with the incident, his 4-wheeler ran out of gas; he and his friends drank all the beer while pondering their state of affairs. In this altered state of mind, he bolted like a crazed roadrunner into parks unknown, looking for the highway so that he might hitchhike to a gas station, bring back a gallon of fuel and more beer to save the day. Instead, he collapsed so very close to civilization and a canteen of water left by the side of the road. Sadly, his friends perished as well, but not before the canyon washed out in a torrential rain and deposited them, 4-wheeler and all, in front of the elusive gas station that our tourist set out to find.