West Virginia-Fairy Hills

The icy wind of the Highland and islands runs through my veins, stating I am Clan Morrison. When my dear mother died of a brain tumor, I willed myself to be an artist. I have a make shift Southern Flag on a makeshift flag pole. As an artist I have an affinity for Southern Culture but left the South. There was one state that did that during the War Between the States. When northwestern Virginia was invaded by the Union, The invading general made them vote to secede from Virginia. But, the joke that most people make about that state is them marring cousins, but that is legal in Texas. But, West Virginians with the exemption of nutty college students are nature people but not like Hoosier farmers. They are more like nature spirits. Ironically, 85% of the states believe in fairies and elves. Last winter brought more ice, but was a bit too cold for my veins.

There is a great mythology of West Virginia with if nothing else Virginians who got lost in the hills. Everything is on the regional secession flag for what was at the time western Virginia.  It is the PC Confederate flag with only one start on the blue field and the word Virginia around the star. There were many West Virginians who fought for the South. They still are very independent people. Like there Scottish and Ulster ancestors, Coal is still big in West Virginia which is why there is a mining helmet. Ironically, the popular song “Working man” was written in a Celtic country like Ireland, but Dolly Parton is known for it. The coal makes it possible to make blast furnaces to make glace seen here with the glass and the marble. There are many myths out for what West Virginians use the marbles. There are two boards nailed together in the front of the picture. This stands for the deep Christian and spiritualistic nature to the state as it forms a cross. It also stands for the Mountain peoples run down cabins. I drew this picture about a year ago or so.

 

Some people believe that Spirits or fairies inhabit stumps or knolls. Calling it Mystic Stump, I drew it recently in an Ohio forest but not a Metro-park then I used the Japanese ink tradition called Sumi-e meaning black ink with India ink. (India Ink has the same principle of charcoal based ink. Both have the nature energy but Indian Ink is less expensive where I live.) I almost saw fairies looking in on me drawing darting around a bush. Ironically, someone walked up behind me and I screamed like a banshee. If you want to buy this or any other picture that I have not sold, email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com.

Kentucky-Border State

St. Andrew’s cross was born in Texas on me making me Clan Morrison and Independent, but my mother was a Dutch Yankee. I chose to be an Artist when all else failed and my mother died, but never finishing college. As I am an artist, I love the South, but I was raised by a Yankee. There was one state that declared neutrality. (Lincoln was born there but raised in Indiana. ) They, now, want to be thought of a Southerner because Yankees thinks they are weird. (The Cincinnati air port is across the river in Kentucky.) Kentucky is Celt and German, even speaking the tongues of the old country in places. Art lives in Kentucky both musical and physical. This is not to discredit Tejano, Zydeco or other music unique to a Southern State, but Blue Grass is different.  Music from the South beat any American Pop material. The purple Appalachian Mountains and Mammoth Cave make the state beautiful. When I road through it, It snowed and looked like a Christmas card but the roads were hazardous. I still miss Mom

Kentucky is very mythological even leaving out Mothman and Bigfoot. The Kentuky Derby is also left out as it lacks a mythos. Everything is on the flag is the Brecked Ridge Flag, one of the groups that volunteered to fight for the South.. Kentucky had two capitals during The War between the States, Union and Confederate. The flag has stars making a Christian Cross on a blue field with two red strips and one white stripe. The state flower is Golden rod. The Cherokee have mystical belief about Golden rod. The state insect is the Monarch butterfly.  The Golden rod crosses a hammer dulcimer. The fiddle is French but the Dulcimer is uniquely America. The music from Kentucky is very unique from Tennessee being mountain.. It forms a St. Andrew’s Cross, the symbol of Scotland, and there are a lot of Scot’s in Kentucky still speaking Gaelic. There is more myth of the Kentucky Shine then there is reality.  This is shown in both song which makes us some Bluegrass and show called Shine. Ironically, there is a rumor that Kentucky legally is dry and does not allow in state sales of alcohol. This is my favorite of all the state series and I drew it about a year ago..

 The name of piece is Born to Fish, Forced to Work named for the person who wanted to be in the pictures but had not catch anything. The medium is both ink and water color. It was drawn the week end after Easter of this year on Lake Hinckley Reservation which was designed to be a millionaire resort wit an artificial lake  but failed. At one time Cleveland was very wealthy.  Cleveland, Ohio, has a very interesting view of nature. It has created a “Emerald Necklace” around the city in Metro parks of places reserved for nature. Many of these are outside of Cleveland city limits. If you are interested in buying eater pieces email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com.

The desire to communicate drives people like me to be an artist to which I am.  I am a descendent of Highland Scot and clam the name Matthew Morrison. Like many artists I have an affinity for therefore the southern US. In college, we studied mostly Alabama in politics class, but all of my politics classes were on the 1960’s. One teacher was Communist, but the other was conservative. The first was during the 2008 election with the communist Professor and was called the Politics of Change and half the class thought it was about Barak Obama and I was one of two people in the class who were not at Obama rallies. (Changeͭͫ  or Change you can believe in) I find the state kind of like me, good but with a lot of rough edges. When my parents drove through and broke down in Mobile, the clerk told them that they were good people so they should not stay around there. I had a friend from Alabama and he was a little old to be in college. He was a serious student but had a dry humor. Before I became an artist, I was a communication student At Purdue Calumet.

State symbols and mythology create the Alabama state of mind. Nature is an important aspect of the mythos of Alabama.  Everything is on the secession flag of that state showing its proud connection to the CSA which also to provide Alabama’s Christian dedication as the most common o Google search in Alabama is “God.”The flower in the middle is a Camilla, the state flower.  (It is both red and white.)The monument to Martin Luther King Jr relates the Selma incident and the Edmond Petace bridge massacre. Stocky Carmichael, legend of “Black Power,” is also associated with Alabama.  The Racial 60’s were decided in Alabama and the Martin Luther King Memorial in Mobile has his famous speech on the base. (not in picture) The turtle in the fore ground is the state reptile the Red Eared turtle.  The wood pecker on the turtle is the state bird but also stands for the vast woodlands. The branch behind the flower is the state tree Hemlock. Thee blackberry behind the turtle is the state fruit. I drew this picture about a year ago and if you want to buy it email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com.

 

The Name of the piece is Farm Tools. It was on a backroad in a field in Indiana. My grandpa sold farm machinery and I was raised being taught all the farm tools by my mother in spite of the fact I was raised in a major US city. I don’t recognize this piece of Farm equipment so anyone out there please tell me what it is. 

Tennessee-Sound of Music

Descending from the Highland Brieve , great family Clan Morrison, my name is Matthew Morrison and I am an artist. As an artist, there is a je ne sais quoi about the American South. Outside of Texas, Tennessee holds the South to my family. My great grandfather Sam Houston Morrison got his dad into a fight because Sam gave his black friend a drink from the white drinking dipper. As the poor undertaker’s son, Sam had no knowledge of the racial divide.   It should be pointed out that Sam’s father was a Carpetbagger from Ohio who ran off with the doctor’s sister. Ironically, Sam grew up and moved to California. I rode through Tennessee once. There was a strong blizzard. I also have many friends from the Memphis area. They harassed me because I did not believe in Death metal which I do believe in now. I am still surprised because Tennessee is famous for Country Music and Elvis. (I do not want to see Black Death Metal Elvis.) Also the School Psychologist was from there too but we all picked up a Georgia accent even the South African. I now seek more honorable ancestors learning Scots Gaelic.

 

No one questions the mythology of the state of Tennessee. It is also known for Bigfoot, but it was too weird at the time. (I believe in Fairies now.)The hat is for the mountain people who happen to see Bigfoot. Everything is on the state flag which was the states secession flag; in order to explain, this is why there is a small stars and bars. The instrument is a viella  not a violin which is the origin of the word fiddle originated. It is a five string viola like instrument from Southern France that was quite popular in the Middle Ages. This was brought Tennessee by French religious refuges bringing French Country music to the US. American Country Music came from this. Country music mixed with African rhythm created Rock’N Roll with Elvin in Grassland. This is what gave Tennessee the mythological birthing place of American music. There is also a Huguenot’s Cross necklace on the instrument. This is from the Group Les Enfants de Dieu which failed a revolt against the French King. They brought a “Pentecostal’ Idea to Tennessee which is still seen there. (The group became the Nazarenes in America.)I drew this during the Sochi Olympics.

Sir Walter Scott brought back building castles in his mythologizing the Scottish Highland. This idea was brought to the new world. I found out about this one in Indiana on one of the largest farm in Northwest Indiana from the man that takes care of their horses. At first, I was more impressed by the barn across the street at first, but discovered its beauty after several pictures.  I drew it from the road on a clear day across the street from where I drew Barn Crest. Email MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com if you want to by the picture.