Profiles

Morgan Walker

In Morgan Walker’s paintings, narrative is a key tool. “All of my paintings have stories that develop and change throughout the whole process of painting it,” he says. “When the painting is finally done, so is the story.”

Walker, 50, was born and raised in Louisiana and came to Oregon on a cross-country bike trip. He received his B.F.A from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and his M.F.A. from the University of Oregon. The painter is also an associate professor of drawing at PNCA, but prior to teaching he held a variety of jobs while working as an artist. “I’ve been a bus driver, worked in ski shops, helped build a prison, been a housepainter, a landscaper and an earthquake proofer,” he says. “And I’ve done a lot of construction. I liked those jobs, and they didn’t take up too much of my art energy.”

  Walker, who works in a finished attic studio in his home, paints in oils, and Snow White is no exception. In the classic tale of Snow White, a dwarf happens upon a girl sleeping in the woods. “To me, that’s the most interesting part of the story because that part could be real,” says Walker. “The rest is just a fairy tale. Dwarfs are real and sleeping girls are real, and the forest in the painting is Oaks Park, which is a real place.” The 12-inch by 16-inch Snow White costs $1,950.

  Contact Morgan Walker through the Augen Gallery (817 S.W. 2nd Ave., 503-224-8182 or augengallery.com) in Portland. Walker’s next show, Natural Disasters, will open there during First Thursday, Sept, 6, 2007. The show’s opening reception will run from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.

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