Bay Area artist Morgan Richardson has called Northern California home his entire life. Born in Mountain View and raised in Milpitas, he developed a special affinity for the captivating landscapes that surrounded him as a young child, from the beaches in Santa Cruz and Monterey to the hills of Sunol. Early exposure to classics such as the Disney films and Warner Bros. cartoons and their vibrant colors and exaggerated characteristics influenced Richardson to have a unique and eclectic way of self-expression and interpretation of the otherwise mundane world around him. In elementary school, Richardson was assigned a picture of a giraffe to color as homework. While his peers turned in naturalistic colorings, he added his own color palette, and turned in a neon rainbow giraffe. Although he liked school, his mind wandered much of the time, likening him to Chuck Jones character Ralph Phillips in the cartoon “From A to Z-Z-Z-Z” (1954), which to this day is one of his favorites.
Later, Richardson began illustrating and painting psychedelic and off-the-wall ideas, from animal-machine hybrids to interpretations of a wild dream. He also experimented with product design, fusing his love of art with his passion for skateboarding and music, especially guitars. In college, Richardson became seriously involved with photography. Early works included pictures of classic automobiles and guitars. However, his biggest interest for photographical subject matter remains nature, inspired by Ansel Adams. Most recently, Richardson has added graphic design and his first published collection of photographs to his ever-growing artistic horizons.
Richardson blends his varied interests in complex, multi-layered paintings and colorful illustrations, but his photography stands as simple and honest. His enthusiasm and energy, matched by his optimism and humor, inform his art as free-spirited and truthful works that inspire and intrigue. Richardson’s eclecticism and vibrancy may be seen by some as “craziness,” but as Tim Burton, one of his main inspirations once said, “One person’s crazyness is another person’s reality.”
- Gemma Guerrero, 2010
Later, Richardson began illustrating and painting psychedelic and off-the-wall ideas, from animal-machine hybrids to interpretations of a wild dream. He also experimented with product design, fusing his love of art with his passion for skateboarding and music, especially guitars. In college, Richardson became seriously involved with photography. Early works included pictures of classic automobiles and guitars. However, his biggest interest for photographical subject matter remains nature, inspired by Ansel Adams. Most recently, Richardson has added graphic design and his first published collection of photographs to his ever-growing artistic horizons.
Richardson blends his varied interests in complex, multi-layered paintings and colorful illustrations, but his photography stands as simple and honest. His enthusiasm and energy, matched by his optimism and humor, inform his art as free-spirited and truthful works that inspire and intrigue. Richardson’s eclecticism and vibrancy may be seen by some as “craziness,” but as Tim Burton, one of his main inspirations once said, “One person’s crazyness is another person’s reality.”
- Gemma Guerrero, 2010
