Dave Morgan

   Born in eastern Washington state, Dave Morgan grew up and lived the early part of his life in northern New Mexico. He moved to the coast of Maine in 2013. In 2015 he set up a print studio (Merrymeeting Press), in downtown Bath, and later that year opened a gallery focusing on handmade prints: the Green Lion Gallery. An artist member of the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Dave is self-taught as an artist. He has participated in classes and workshops through the years; Dave describes feeling fortunate to work with printmaking mentors: Jean Gumpper, Siri Beckman, Matt Brown, and Jim Lee.

Dave writes: “My creative journey has had curious transmutations. Photography in the 1970s (when it was still done with silver and light in a darkroom) led to sifting through earth (and time) as an archaeologist; years of working with wood (from house framing to hand-carved furniture) led to working with living trees and ecosystems as a practitioner of ecological restoration. Now I am backing working as a visual artist, but still with a connection to wood.

   My first prints grew out of a fascination with medieval art and a desire to celebrate through black and white woodblock imagery the exuberant wonder of sculpture created a thousand years ago. I love the alchemy of printmaking and enjoyed an introduction to color woodblock printing through participation in a workshop with Matt Brown in 2014. Printmaking transmutes visual ideas through the crucibles of drawing, carving, inking, and printing into finished images holding surprises for makers and audiences. My work is in the permanent collections of the Northwest Art Center, Minot, ND, the Kyoto International Woodprint Association in Japan, and the Maine-Aomori Print Exchange. I am currently living and working in both Bath, ME and Cusco, Peru.”