North Dakota- Prairie

The mists’ of the long islands and Uig mysterious, Norse Chessmen whisper that I am Clan Morrison. Smells of ink and the grime of sketching recognize me as being an artist. The new great art state is North Dakota. They are obsessed with Buffalo. Thus the sentence Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo, North Dakota. If it were not for the Badlands, it would not have any of the Je ne sais quoi of artistic Wyoming. The state is wide open spaces of practically nothing except for grass. The other thing it is known for is how cold it gets there which is a real accomplishment. Recently North Dakota found oil and some of the most uninhabitable land in the continental North America became the most valuable. A good illustration of this is the series “Blood and Oil” with a mass migration to the state. Ironically North Dakota was the boring state in the region. I am from the traditional oil state Texas. While pumping oil defines the state, everything will equal out eventually. I have never been that good at chess.

North Dakota has a great mythology without lake monsters.Everything is on top of a traditional Sioux design.  They are one of the largest First Nations in the state. The left behind everything has Hoodoo Rock in the Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National park. According to Lakota legend, the Badlands were caused by the Great Spirit flooding the world because they prayed too much about a warring tribe. The park is on the old sight of the first President Roosevelt’s ranch. The left behind everything  is the state house of North Dakota which I portrayed in modernist style. The original building was burned in 1930 but the current one was completed 2007 after all the expansions and is called Skyscraper on the Prairie. The pot is a Julia Matterson piece. She was one of the founders of the revival of Native American pottery adding a modern touch inspired by Prairie School Frank Lloyd Wright.  The flower is the wild prairie rose, the state flower. the branch is American elm, the state tree. The dwelling behind the rose is the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. This is the site where Lewis and Clark spent the winter 1804. It is 9” x 12,” drawn with pencil and white charcoal and completed September 2014.

The name of this piece is Gray stream Blue Snow, is 12” x 18” and drawn with ink, sumie and Chinese watercolors recently. The temperature was in the upper 30’s Fahrenheit which barly would allow forsnow iff it had not just snowed a foot and a half. The Chinese watercolors give a happy felling of snow. If you are interested in buying this or any other of my work email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com to order.

Michigan-Peninsula

Haunted, two walled castle ruins and dark islands with unreachable, mystic butts sing to the moors that I am Clan Morrison. The life force of the bristles of a horse and the magic of the orient’s graphite whisper that I am an artist. My dear mother was from Michigan and she taught me how to draw ad because she is gone, I draw. I grew up with stories of this magical place called Michigan. It was a place where there was always snow with the exception of ling at the beach and going sand surfing and every one spoke in Dutch except for her grandmother who was learning English. My grandfather was one of the people to get president Ford in Senate. I was born Texan and it seemed impossible. As Tennessee has Occitans, (French-Italians) Hawaii has Japanese, Minnesota has Norwegians, and New York has Jews; Michigan has Dutch. Michigan also has “Motown.” Ford (cars) and Chevrolet are what make Michigan something other than farming. Detroit is makes a conservative state lean left. The Upper Peninsula was a copper mining region.  I used to call my house in Indiana Fort Morrison America.

Michigan is a unique mythology. Everything is in front the Mackinac Bridge. It was first proposed in 1884and two attempts were made to build it in 1934 and 1936 as part of the New Deal, but failed. Construction stated on it in 1953; the bridge was officially opened May 7 & 8, 1954. Everything is on the boardwalk on the Boardman River in Traverse City. In 1847, Captain Boardman bought land on the river for a sawmill and Traverse City was created which was only accessible by boat until 1864; the river became the industrial heart of the city. Michigan most unique crytid is the Mishipeshu or water panther which is commonly the size of a lynx cat with bronze horns and a prehensile tall. It is said it defend the copper in the Upper Peninsula. In front of the wooden school in a Sugar beet, an alternative sugar plant stated 1884. It has like the potato to Idaho.  The klompen is for Veldheer’s  / De Klomp Wooden shoe factory Holland, Michigan which has a windmill imported from Holland.  The arrow is for the Pontiac's Rebellion from Fort Michilimackinac. The hat is from Fort Mackinac State Historic Parks which is the fort preserved from the 1830’s. The rapids on the far left corner are for Grand Rapids. . It is 8” x 10,” drawn with pencil and white charcoal and completed recently.

The name of this piece is Tree_barn, is 12” x 18” and drawn with ink September 2014. I was standing in someone’s front yard as the gravel road was turning back into asphalt on a back road in Indiana across the street from a corn field that almost ready to pick And some remnants of forest The barn was dress in a sign collection If you are interested in buying this or any other of my work email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com to order.

Nevada-Desert and Mountains

 The mystic, stone Crannog islands of the Lochs and wild and free magical unicorns blow to the seas that I am Clan Morrison. The ink grinding stone for Sumi-e and the story board of of Idea sketch define me as an artist. As well accepted, there is symbiotic relationship between art and the Old West. It is an transition for the Rockies, Northwest, desert.  Possibly the least remembered region of the old West is Nevada. There is a general misconception about Nevada because of “Sin City” Las Vegas strip (every large city at one time had that title.)  or Reno. People damn the entire state based on the two cities considering the capital is in Carson City. The roads sign send one to the Nevada side of the Grand Canyon. Ghost towns from past gold rushes are known in the state and an element of mystics. I had friends from Vegas. They said it was kind of boring but hot and dry. The state is primarily a cattle and mining state. As of the 1970’s, the only paved roes outside of Reno, Vegas and the capital were unpaved.  Unicorns have also been seen in Germany, Canada and North Korea.   

Nevada has a very strong mythology. Everything is on Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave Desert. The Native Americans have been in the area since 11,000 BC. Around 1900, there was a there was an unsuccessful sandstone quarry there. It became a National Conservation Area in 1990. The steel mesh stones knelling guy is Cairn from the Nevada museum of Art which was founded in 1932. It became a national conservation area in 1990. Cairn ( the sculpture itself) was created by Celeste Roberge in 1998 but move to the current position just outside the museum door in 2003 and shows humans in geological time. The tree behind Cairn is a Bristle cone which is known to be the oldest growing trees on earth. This is for the Great Basin National park which was honored with a national park quarters. The sagebrush is the state flower from 1917. But, the most iconic element of the piece is the Las Vegas Sign which is not technically in the city. It was placed there in 1959 for $4,000, but now there two more in different areas of the city. It is 8” x 10,” drawn with pencil and white charcoal and completed October 2014.

 

The name of this piece is Valley, is 12” x 18” and drawn with ink September 2014. Primarily, North West Indiana in flat which make it ideal for cereal crops: however, it is not perfectly flat. I knew I was leaving so I found a open field to a farm house If you are interested in buying this or any other of my work email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com to order.