12.23.22 Ed Morgan

Celebrating The Legendary Life
and Art of Ed Morgan

By Rebekah Powers | December 2022

In the colorful progressive town of Taos, many creative individuals have found a true home and Ed Morgan was certainly one of the most notable. By the time he arrived in Taos his entire life up to that point had prepared him to meet his ultimate destiny to become an important component of the art scene, as gallery owner, mentor and eventually becoming recognized worldwide for his innovative engraving.

He was raised in Missouri by his Osage Indian grandmother who gave him dried frogs and moose hide mittens for Christmas gifts, so he was steeped in Native culture as a youth. But perhaps the actual seed that later sprouted into an art career and then boomed into international collectibility was a picture young Ed Morgan cut out of a comic book. The boy would stare at this detailed print of a painting every night as he went to sleep. It was an image of a Hidatsa Dog Dance Warrior in hackled magpie headdress by German explorer Maximilian from 1830. Decades later, he would participate in elaborate re-enactment festivals called Rendezvous from the same time frame. He would eventually acquire a collection of beadwork, parfleches, moccasins and other Native American artifacts that served as inspiration and references for later work.

He had also acquired a unique set of skills by working for both Hallmark and American Greeting card companies. Hired because of his superior draftsmanship, Morgan soon surprised his mentors as he learned engraving: carving a detailed image into a metal plate in reverse (so the deepest part of the carving will be the highest part of the 3d paper relief) and backward (to be viewed from the other side). He had an uncanny ability to do this and to work without ceasing in great detail, which he would later say was diagnosed as dyslexia but worked to his advantage.

Like many people who become enchanted with northern New Mexico, he came here on a mission and he never intended to stay. In his case, it was to pick up frozen Buffalo hides. But whatever combination of forces magnetized Ed Morgan to Taos, it might be that the reason he stayed so long, and certainly one key to his artistic success and innovation, was meeting Virginia here. They were married at a Rendezvous, and she became his partner in life and Art. Her nickname was “Blueberry” and she was sometimes a model for the work, but also part of the unique art process that evolved between them during their fertile years in Taos. They could be seen strolling down Bent Street with their beloved dog, “Boriche” in the evening. With their success, they opened Morgan Gallery and hosted other artists’ art along with their own, becoming a beloved benefactor for many upcoming unknowns.

In his work, Morgan’s subject matter returned again and again to Native American scenes and nature in detailed compositions that fuse many disparate processes. The results are 3 dimensional reliefs, watercolor, gold leaf and applied silks on rag paper. Each piece is produced by them in their studio using a huge press capable of generating great pressure and heat. That process creates a specific sheen to the silks and make the watercolor gleam like enamel. This art form is intense and requires extreme skill, patience and loving attention to detail, it is hard to describe. Ed once said, “I could have been accepted faster if people knew what it was.”

Later in his life, in an interview for Southwest Art, Morgan pulled an image from the flat file in his vault and sat it on an easel claiming it to be his favorite of all time. It is a nighttime scene depicting seven warriors getting ready for the dance. It required 3 metal plates and took a year to complete. Titled, “Dog Dancers Society” it may very well be the actualization of a little boy’s vivid imagination as he fell asleep every night staring at a print on his bedroom wall. It was certainly a manifestation of the determined focus, innovation and heart that went into every piece that Ed Morgan created.

When he died in 2014, he was survived by Virginia and the many who knew and loved him. He was also most authentically survived by his work, each piece a concentrated gift and celebration in itself. Join us in rejoicing in the vision and unique artistic fingerprint of this important Taos legend: Ed Morgan.

Ed Morgan Is A Master Engraver

(Source: Morgan Gallery Brochure)

With his respect for and dedication to every minute detail of the visible world, Ed Morgan takes different aspects from engraving, drawing, painting and sculpture, combines them and pushes them to the limits of perfection. Using 100% rag papers, the artwork joins blind embossing (white on white), with several sources of color, subtle tints, watercolor, inks, colored silks and gold leaf. This provides the viewer with a rich variety of surfaces that respond to various lighting conditions. The curves and shadows of the detailed image, the shimmer of the silks, the glint of gold are all components of Morgan’s unique contribution to the world of art. Each step os his unusual medium requires personal attention and expertise of the artist.

Ed Morgan’s work is in collection throughout the world. His exhibits include shows from New York to California. Many of his prints are sold out before they are completed, to collectors who have reserved a specific number, and clients who visit the studio and galleries.

The Fine Art of Embossing From The Hand-Engraved Plate

Morgan transfers his original drawings to a magnesium zinc plate using a tracing technique. He then carves the image into the metal with various engraving tools keeping the original drawing as a guide. No acid is used in this process.

After the engraved plate is placed on the embossing press, it is heated and pressed into a counter material that has been positioned on the opposite side of the hinged press; the closing of the press produces a bas-relief image on the counter. These two objects—the female metal plate and the male counter—furnish the surfaces that result in fine details in the finished product.

Morgan carefully cuts away all unwanted background material from the male counter image. This creates space for the female plate to make a deeper impression on the rag paper further insuring greater detail in the embossing, and retaining the texture of the 100% rag paper in the background of the prints. The remaining counter surface also allows the paper to accept any tints or silks that Ed chooses for the piece.

The hand torn paper is set within fixed register markings on the male counter; the press, heated to 300°, is closed and the image is embossed. (No water is used to create the embossed image.) With the print still on the press, Ed painstakingly applies the watercolors and any tinting he has chosen. the image is heat embossed any number of times during this of the process to further enhance depth and texture in the colored surfaces.

In a technique developed by the Morgan Studio, silk becomes a component of the many images. Each piece of silk is cut by hand to fit a particular section of the embossed image. The silk is then carefully registered on the section and fused to the paper with several “hits” of the heated press. Ed applies the gold leaf accents after the print is removed from the press.

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Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

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