Using a combination of engraving and embossing, Ed Morgan became a master engraver depicting a variety of subjects including Native Americans, animals, birds and flowers.
He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with a father who made all of his toys by hand, many of them with Southwest motifs. After his father's death, he lived with grandparents on a farm in northeast Missouri, and he had to travel 30 miles to school. In grade school, he began winning art competitions.
He moved to Kansas City, became a professional musician, and enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute where he got a reputation for his execution of fine detail. He then worked for nearly twelve years as an illustrator- engraver for Hallmark Cards and later with American Greeting Cards.
A trip to Taos, New Mexico to pick up frozen buffalo hides changed his life, and he subsequently moved there and to engraving added jewelry making. In this regard, he describes himself as a sculptor who carves in metal and then embellishes his work with silk, which he fuses onto the paper. He hand colors his engravings with watercolor.
In Taos, an exhibition of his work was held at the Fechin Institute in May-June, 1987. He was the first living artist to have an exhibition at the Fechin Home, as opposed to the studio because Fechin's family believed Fechin would have admired Morgan's innovations.
Source:
Southwest Art magazine
Following is the obituary of the artist.
Born on November 13th, 1943 in Independence, MO to Lee and Ada (Eaton) Morgan, Ed was one of the few "free-range" engraving artists. After a high school career in the music and nightclub industry, Ed attended the Kansas City Art Institute, and then went to Hallmark Cards were he was trained to be an engraver.
Recognizing corporate life was not his calling, Ed joined the Taos Starving Artists club in 1970. He first applied his talents to engraved jewelry and by 1980, started engraving plates. In 1981 he married Virginia and together they developed the silk embossing processing for which he is known.
Ed is survived by his lovely adoring wife Virginia "Blueberry" Morgan, his beloved dog Bouche, his children, grandchildren, his best friend Jim, and a multitude of people touched by his art, generosity,
