An Immersive Conversation with Morgan Richardson

Photo courtesy of artist

Morgan Richardson is a globally recognized Artist and Color Expert. His work has been seen at Disney, Nickelodeon, Paramount, International Rhino Foundation, Wild Tomorrow Fund, and in galleries and publications across the world. Morgan is also an educator, an experiential designer, and a wildlife conservationist. I got the immense pleasure to discuss art, animals, and how animals can truly be poetic.

UZOMAH: What made you start incorporating animals in your artwork?

MORGAN: I’ve been illustrating animals since I was a kid — there is something super interesting about studying non-human creatures. Sometimes it seems like the only real way to get to understand wildlife is to study it through art. As I grew older and more informed about conservation efforts, I began painting animals as part of an effort to raise awareness and gather support for organizations dedicated to saving endangered species. It felt like a natural fit for my vibrant artistic style.

U: How do you use art to address advocacy issues for wildlife?

M: I use my art as a tool to introduce people to the amazing biodiversity of our planet. By relating to my artwork, people become aware of endangered creatures and issues plaguing the environment. If I do my job correctly, my artwork can inspire people to make changes in their lifestyle that benefits wildlife and wild places. I often donate my work to benefit nonprofits that are already actively fighting for the planet.

“Gray Wolf”

U: Can you explain how you use art and wildlife as an experiential designer?

M: I believe that art & design can be used as a bridge to connect humans with wildlife. It can be difficult to engage the public in issues relating to conservation — these topics are often sad and people simply don’t want to be faced with more depressing news in an already tumultuous world. This is where I believe visual communication through engaging entertainment becomes useful. Experiential storytelling through the built environment is a great way of engaging audiences in personal ways that leave them with a personal call to action. In a world where COVID is keeping people out of public spaces, visual arts like paintings, videos, graphic design, etc., can be experienced at home and deliver an eye-catching way to get the public informed about the plight of endangered species.

elephant bees

U: What are some of your favorite areas to focus on as an educator?

M: I guide my students toward success by helping them find their most creative selves. Not everyone has to be artistic in order to be creative but you usually have to be relatively inquisitive. With curiosity often comes failure — the key is to eliminate the fear of failure and encourage students to try new things and fail fabulously. It’s through that try/crash/burn/rebuild process that students can hone in on the handful of things that fulfill them creatively and together we can work on building those skills. As an educator, it’s really all about meeting the individual creative needs of students, rather than strictly sticking to a predetermined curriculum.

U: How has art opened to you a different view of animals and how to work and educate about them?

M: The process of creating art can be a struggle, just like anything else. It can also be an enlightening experience for the artist, as well as the viewer. A remarkable work of art can capture your soul and envelop you in an alternate reality, where you are mentally a part of that piece. As I create paintings of animals, my mind tends to fabricate emotional responses to them — for instance, if I’m painting a rhinoceros, I often think about the poaching that is affecting them. I think about rhinos that have survived poaching attempts, I start to feel what I believe they were feeling as part of their body was stolen and they were left for dead. “Why did you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this?” It’s sad but it’s motivating at the same time.

When I post my art online, I always try to add information about the animals in the captions. That way, I first engage people with the artwork and then follow up with an informative call to action.

chimp

U: What would you suggest someone do if they wanted to get involved with protecting wildlife?

M: There is meaningful conservation work to be done in your own backyard. For instance, I live in California — there are over 250 endangered plant and animal species in our state alone. You don’t need to have tons of money, travel to tropical rainforests, or be a white dude in order to perform conservation work. Conservation is for everyone everywhere. I always encourage people to research programs in their area that help local ecosystems. If you can donate to reputable non-profits, that’s great! I also believe everyone has the opportunity to use their unique talents to help wildlife in their own way. If you are a lawyer, donate your services to nonprofits working with local governments to protect the land. If you own a restaurant, create a dish inspired by your favorite endangered species. As an artist, I create work that brings attention to animals in need and I sell that work to benefit those species.

plains zebra

U: Animals in general have a poetic nature about them, even a rhythm in how they move. What helps you be able to capture that raw quality in animals?

M: For me, each animal has one or more specific qualities that can be amplified to make them feel gregarious, fierce, mysterious, etc. It’s all about honing in on what those aspects are and making sure they are present in the final piece. Sometimes I’m pretty successful, other times they don’t come out quite how I’d envisioned. There are many artists who are better at capturing the raw power or motion of animals, I tend to rely on my use of color and illustrative expression to bring out their personalities.

U: What is something that animals have taught you about yourself, life, and art?

M: Animals have taught me to see beyond my day-to-day existence. Humans tend to see the world as revolving around them but in reality, it is a delicate balance. I’m someone who believes that wildlife has the ability to perceive many things that we cannot. Humans are burdened with evolutionary blinders that hold us back from harmonizing with the Earth in ways other animals can. The more time we spend with animals, the more we can learn from them and become in tune with nature. We are only one among millions of important living organisms that make up a diverse planet.

pangolin

U: What is your favorite animal to capture artistically so far?

M: I love to paint rhinos, pangolins, and many kinds of birds. Each has its own unique design challenges and each has unique characteristics that are fun to capture. There are times where I slightly anthropomorphize my animals to give them appealing and engaging expressions and then there are other times where I stick to a more natural appearance. Recently I’ve been playing around with more geometry and patterning, beyond the colorful backgrounds. It adds a bit of cultural or technical flair to the pieces that can either root them in a certain geographic region or lift them into contemporary pop culture.

For more information about Morgan’s advocacy and art please follow the link. You can also follow him on Instagram.