Social Media Updates - Morgan Mural Studios

morgan.mural.studios

Hand-painted, site-specific, “One of a Kind-ness” mural art.

I’m painting a new mural in Pittsburg, CA and as

I’m painting a new mural in Pittsburg, CA and as I drove to work I passed this mural I painted in 2015 on Railroad Avenue. It still looks as good as the day I painted it. As I started painting on the new mural, a few contractors stopped by to say it was looking nice. Their second comment was their concern over it being tagged. This is an understandable fear, just like you might trip and fall if you go out for a walk. But, the likelihood is small relative to the benefits. Tagging is extremely rare, and in the meantime, the last 6 years a thousand people drive by this mural each day and enjoy a view that is just beyond the buildings that surround them, offering a new perspective on their environment. Tagging is a small risk of investing in a mural, just like tripping when walking. Do it anyway!!!

This was tricky! Unprimed Fabric wrapped acoustic

This was tricky! Unprimed Fabric wrapped acoustic panels to match existing wallpaper. Kind of like painting a pillowcase. Or walking a tightrope with no net. Any paint drips, mis-tinting, or too much water in the process and these very expensive perfectly wrapped and nested panels (fabric from Germany) would be instantly ruined. Was I daunted? Yes! Did that stop me? It never has. Both a blessing and a curse of my exceedingly optimistic personality.
As an aside, sometimes it does get me into trouble. But it’s a personality defect I can’t seem to remedy. I like risk as long as it doesn’t threaten me bodily. So no actual tightropes for me. I don’t even ski anymore. Work is thrilling enough.
#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist #creativehappylife

Everything I say is true! Visit the Los Altos hist

Everything I say is true!
Visit the Los Altos history museum website for the official invite and registration.
Losaltoshistory.org/events.
#live!

Went on a lovely bike ride with @hike_n_bike_4lif

Went on a lovely bike ride with @hike_n_bike_4life. First stop: a flight of ice cream at Salt and Straw and then the Stanford Cactus gardens, and then we were passing by the Arrillaga building at Stanford and and I stopped in to say hello to this mural I painted of half dome in 2014. Glad to hear it is enjoyed and inspiring adventurers at Stanford’s outdoor education center.
So grateful for friends, evening bike rides on warm days, ice cream, and the satisfaction of sharing my art in the world.

There is a bear walk (beer walk?) in downtown Los

There is a bear walk (beer walk?) in downtown Los Altos this eve. Don’t forget to stop by and pet the bear I painted located in Veterans Plaza. But please don’t try to pull off the glasses! He’s on his second pair and fifth repair (seems to be a late night game for local bear glasses snatchers) and the title of my bear “Can you see yourself in California” just doesn’t work if the bear doesn’t have his glasses.🤓

#losaltosbears #morgan.mural.studios

Almost done with this mural in downtown Los Gatos.

Almost done with this mural in downtown Los Gatos. It needs a title! City of Los Gatos is putting it out to the community to come up with a title, which will be written on the spine of the book her chin is resting on. Any suggestions?
Thank you so much to @livenowkrhema for assisting me with the project! Thank you @losgatostown for all the honks and kind words. It was a busy sidewalk corner, and everyone was patient -and also chatty which made the project so much fun. I feel like every project I finish these days is my favorite… but…I’m really proud of this one! I threw in a few hearts and also included the words of the Los Gatos City theme of “listen, learn, change, grow” in the artwork. I painted the designs out of my head, as stream of consciousness as you can get while being peppered with questions about how I work on such a large scale. I still don’t have a good answer. Isn’t everyone making it up as they go along?
#morganmuralstudios #bayareamuralist
#losgatos #losgatostown

Meet the newest talent! Four amazing artists parti

Meet the newest talent! Four amazing artists participating in my master class painted this mural with me, which is a donation to the St Francis Center in Redwood City. We designed it together, and had a great two days completing it. Tomorrow we start in a public mural in Los Gatos. Stop by 100 w Main Street to say hello!
#morganmuralstudios #bayareamurals

I painted this residential bedroom mural plus ceil

I painted this residential bedroom mural plus ceiling with an ethereal ombré fade with hidden “magical” elements plus this magical woman inspired by a painting by @aimeestewartart. My client saw the painting and put it on her Pinterest board with dozens of other images. I said, hey, this is my favorite thing on your board. She said, “me too!” And off we went. Can you imagine waking up every day in this vibe? I’m jealous.
#morganmuralstudios #bayareamuralist #aimeestewartart

What happens when you bark up the right tree? I do

What happens when you bark up the right tree? I don’t know but Fido here has spotted a squirrel in the tree but didn’t notice the two fat cottontails in the corner. I wonder what a psychoanalyst would discover from my spontaneous compositions of woodland animals.
I painted a tree for Ellie five years ago, and she was okay with her family’s move to a new house on one condition: she could take her tree with her. Enjoy, Ellie!
#bayareamuralist
#morganmuralstudios

I finished up Henna - inspired murals today at the

I finished up Henna - inspired murals today at the new Crave
Yoga Studio in Mountain View. Super fun to collaborate with Helena, I have a feeling her studio is going to be a big hit. I’ll can’t wait for it to open… early September? I’ll update here and forward the invite to the grand opening. Love to see female entrepreneurs rocking it!!
#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist
#craveyoga

Cherry blossoms for Pabu Ramen House in SF. I love

Cherry blossoms for Pabu Ramen House in SF. I love painting branches, I enjoy finding surprising forms from the squiggly lines I paint.

#morganmuralstudios #bayareamuralist

Added a new crane to this mural I painted at Pabu

Added a new crane to this mural I painted at Pabu San Francisco in 2015. Great food and vibe at Pabu, always a pleasure to work there!

Turns out I am fond of weak black coffee, biscuits

Turns out I am fond of weak black coffee, biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and North Dakota! Thank you, God for helping the two sweetest people on earth find me, and hire me to paint the landscape they love. These two donated this mural to a new museum being built in Watford City, North Dakota. The mural depicts the badlands of ND and includes the animals I spotted out and about: two bald eagles fishing, an enormous cottontail rabbit and a red fox. I also saw bison, but he was too big for the picture.

I will be teaching how I paint landscape murals in a three day workshop beginning July 14. There are two spots left. Come join the fun!
#bayareamuralist
#morganmuralstudios
#watfordcity #heritgagepark

To my daughter and all young people stressed about

To my daughter and all young people stressed about grades right now: don’t box yourself in to a limited metric. Integrity matters. Believing in yourself matters. Kindness matters. Grades are a measure of how well you can take a test on a narrow subject. Comparison is a losing game. Run you own race my dears, you are pure magic. Don’t give away your power to a piece of paper.

Added a bit of colorjoy to MontclaireElementary Sc

Added a bit of colorjoy to MontclaireElementary School, a gift from the granduating class of 2021. Their mascot is Monte the Tiger. I hope the kids like it!

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon is one of my

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon is one of my favorite books and today I did just that. Inspired by recent floral posts by @kada_creative and @elanevansdecorativepaint I added these rununculas in my bathroom. Thank you Elan and Kada for setting the bar so high, for inspiring me to creating a bit of art in my home with my Saturday afternoon.
#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist
#weekendart
#flowermural

I started crying as soon as I pulled in the parkin

I started crying as soon as I pulled in the parking lot. Cried in line, with my nurse while getting my second vaccine, while Waiting in the sun for 15 minutes. Relief. Joy. Gratitude for the scientists, to be an American with a government that can roll out the vaccines so quickly, for a renewed sense of safety in the world, both with covid and the hope of a safer world for everyone, with Derek Chauvin conviction. An emotional day for me.

I am working my way super slowly through Caste. It is so heartbreaking to see clearly the systemic racism I have been complacent too my whole life. It is sickening. I am super hopeful we can do better, but getting uncomfortable with status quo is step one.

Meet Anh, one of my favorite people ever and neigh

Meet Anh, one of my favorite people ever and neighbor. I have been doing trades with Anh for years, it used to be haircuts, now it is bread. During covid she cobbled together an outdoor kitchen in her backyard, and taught bread making to neighbors. The big white fridge was an eyesore so I painted these apricot blossoms across the front. Anh is so full of joy and life, and generosity. I hope everyone has an Anh in their life!
#besttradeever
#ilovemyneighbors

I first fell in love with beard Papa cream puffs p

I first fell in love with beard Papa cream puffs painting this mural in 2016, which is outside of the locksmith, next door to beard papa in San Mateo. Whenever I am in the area I stop by for cream puffs and say hi to the artwork. My murals are like old friends to me. The visual triggers a cascade of memories: people I met while painting, what I ate, the weather, I can remember how I felt when I was painting the mural. I make an effort to make sure every client is cared for, that the process is as beautiful as the artwork, including taking good care of myself (on this project, that included daily cream puff consumption) and also the people I meet along my day. looking back is a joy practice for me.

Listening to Shanti Guitar by Steven McNamara, war

Listening to Shanti Guitar by Steven McNamara, warm, fed, safe, engaged in my favorite activity, and I can still feel the edges of worry, or stress in my being. In my experience, there is no perfect job, exercise routine, meditation practice, diet, amount of money, that will rescue us from the monkey mind, the ego, whatever from doing its job of wanting to fix, or fear uncertainty. The only sane solution: Just make room for it, feeling it fully, letting the full human experience be okay, embracing the tender, scared aspects of ourselves, normalizing them, even...(someday) loving them is the only way to peace. And it is transient. Some days it’s there, full embrace of life, maybe for a few hours, and poof, back to letting my worries take up more real estate than my full experience of the abundance of the present moment. Many circles around the sun is teaching me: This dance doesn’t end. I am (trying?) to Release the grip of thinking it will, and just enjoy the crazy ride.
That’s my experience. What’s yours?

#morganmuralstudios

I learned so much from Carlos in this episode. I h

I learned so much from Carlos in this episode. I hope you enjoy it!
#muralpodcast
#morganmuralstudios
@carlosrmk

Episode 18 Is live! Check it out wherever you like

Episode 18 Is live! Check it out wherever you like to listen. Let me know: Agree? Disagree?

Bit.ly/3qcol6M

#bayareamurals
#morganmuralstudios
@publicartpa

Fresh episodes of my podcast coming down the pipel

Fresh episodes of my podcast coming down the pipeline. I kick off season two diving into why school murals are an oft overlooked opportunity and how to get more school mural projects going.
bit.ly/3sI9CSv

#ifthesewallscouldtalk
#bayareamuralist
#muralpodcast
#schoolmurals

This photo makes me so happy! My bestie finally g

This photo makes me so happy! My bestie finally got a “room of her own”, even if it is technically the attic. I broke all the standard painting rules for this small space: painted the white trim the wall color as well as the ceiling because there were so many lines and angles in the small space. This wall is what is behind her head when she takes zoom calls, so the white door cut her background in geometric halves. It is a dark room, and the dark, low border helps the rest of the space feel lighter, and also a crisp tuxedo style “pop” against the feminine, dynamic peony. You don’t need a big fancy space to make it beautiful

#morganmuralstudios #bayareamuralist #peony

This is the book that changed my life 20 years ago

This is the book that changed my life 20 years ago, from overworked, disconnected desk job to creating art for a living. I am working through this book again, diligently, with a cadre of 5 brave friends. I’m now starting week five, a month in. This book is an amazing catalyst to bring your life in alignment with your creative desires. 25 years old, out of date and timeless/ powerful as ever. If you are feeling stymied or unfocused, work through this course. I am deeply, knees on the ground grateful to Julia Cameron for her gift of this book to the world. I am also super grateful to Liz Gilbert, the amazing guest that she was on the Tim Ferris podcast that inspired me to start the course again. I have shared that podcast at least a dozen times. Maybe my favorite podcast and episode of the year. (I listen to a lot of podcasts.) All gratitude.🙏🙏🙏

@liz_gilbert @timferriss #theartistsway #grateful

My new book is for sale on Amazon! This book is a

My new book is for sale on Amazon! This book is a labor of love, I hope that it helps artists find a sustainable path for making money with their creativity. Buy it, share it, review it. Lets make the world a more beautiful place, one wall at a time, together.

#themuralartistshandbook
#bayareamuralist
#morganmuralstudios

Working on a mural celebrating the farm workers in

Working on a mural celebrating the farm workers in Napa, CA. This one is at 807 Soscol Ave, near Third street, a scene of the early morning harvest. Thank you to Ricardo Varelas for being my model and building owner Michael Holcomb for giving this gift to the community, and bringing awareness to the farm workers that do not share the bounty of a booming wine industry with the growers.
#morganmurals
#bayareamurals #napawine

I am so sorry California and my friends in the win

I am so sorry California and my friends in the wine country are facing another devastating fire. I am so sorry for our country that our current president won’t agree to honor our most American ritual of free and fair election or denounce white supremacy groups. I am so sorry about how so many people, especially families with children are limping along with online school. In the midst of it all, I paint. I’ve painted a few murals and I’m not posting them because it seems so insufficient to meet the moment. But I loved painting for Ari, the coolest first grader ever. I let him paint a few butterflies, and when he wanted to paint more I said, I’m sorry, I’m just super protective that all the work comes out the way I want it, and I know it’s silly but i just want to paint the rest of the butterflies myself. “ This seven year old says to me, “I understand. That’s just you being you.” Yes, Ari, and God bless you. In the midst of so much turmoil, I hang on the the only thing I have power over: the paintbrush in my hand. Residential murals have been a godsend this year, as businesses and cities struggle. I am so grateful for the work!

#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist
#junglemural

Another happy day painting. Today, finished up bou

Another happy day painting. Today, finished up bougainvillea for Beverly. We had so much fun together. You can see the mural through the French doors.

#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist

My neighbor Beverly commissioned this mural. The c

My neighbor Beverly commissioned this mural. The calf was her first bovine purchase, has been the stud of the herd she owns in Texas. !
#morganmuralstudios
#bayareamuralist

This is what noon in front of the school office lo

This is what noon in front of the school office looks like on sept 9 2020. A different year might have seen it bustling with children and staff, a sunny September day, certainly no work lights needed. It’s disorienting, but I am orienting internally, where balance and regeneration originate. Showing up to do work I feel is important in this world- regardless of inevitable mental and physical obstacles is core to my creative work. There have been harder days, there will be harder days, and I will be sharing my light and talent in the world regardless, ever opportunity I am given. I find comfort in that certainty.

Apparently, the air quality is better today, despite the ash reigning down. I hope you are hanging in there today, and finding the beauty you won’t give up on.

I just finished a long overdue website update. Thi

I just finished a long overdue website update. This great project from The Glenn community pool in Scripps Ranch is my new showcase mural. Check it out: www.morganmurals.com

#morganmuralstudios
#handpaintedmurals
#bayareamuralist

My son took the first step of moving out, covid st

My son took the first step of moving out, covid style: he moved into my studio. I detailed out his room and painted an agate wall inspired by @caroline_lizarraga. Making his room beautiful helped make the bittersweet transition easier.
#morganmuralstudios

When work is the best escape from the news. Submer

When work is the best escape from the news. Submerged, listening to music, sending love to the coral reefs, sending blessings to the new baby coming to live in this underwater room. Feeling blessed to have work these days.

A beautiful day in SF painted @minted store on Fil

A beautiful day in SF painted @minted store on Fillmore St.
#morganmuralstudios #quarantineart

I painted a happy color wheel for the kindergarten

I painted a happy color wheel for the kindergarten play yard up the street. Hopefully there will be children back to enjoy it soon enough.

We are one family, learning and growing together. Truth for all ages.
#morganmuralstudios #pangeaseed #quarantineart

Our Shelter in Place family portrait by the Talent

Our Shelter in Place family portrait by the Talented @miss_magic_lantern. My daughter copped the perfect teenage smolder, which at this point is uncomfortably familiar.

#losaltosphotographer #sipfamily

Praying for the human family today. Cooperation, k

Praying for the human family today. Cooperation, kindness, and leadership have never been more vital.

Painted this utility box for city of Redwood City

Painted this utility box for city of Redwood City today with my new friend Rachel Corn. #morganmuralstudios

Super fun koi mural for a powder room. My clients

Super fun koi mural for a powder room. My clients have the best ideas!

#morganmuralstudios

I am in love with @stonebalancerart “You Are Lov

I am in love with @stonebalancerart “You Are Loved” murals. I am so excited to share with you my convo with Alex about his 20 year career as a mural artist, and the inspiration behind #youarelovedmurals .

Enjoy!
#morganmuralstudios

So excited to have the fabulous Hanna Daly as my g

So excited to have the fabulous Hanna Daly as my guest on Ep 15! Hanna has painted over 1,000 murals in the San Diego area and she shares a pro lens on the mural artist hustle. Enjoy!
#hannasmurals
#morganmurals

All finished at Noddin. One badass kindergarten te

All finished at Noddin. One badass kindergarten teacher pulled it all together, approvals, fundraising, community support. Now she and a generation of kindergarteners to come can enjoy the fruits of her labor.
#morganmurals

Gnatcatcher on Echevaria on a indoor pool at a new

Gnatcatcher on Echevaria on a indoor pool at a new community center.
I dreamed of how I wanted this to come out. It never quite gets the glow, the palettes I see in my minds eye, but I always get closer.
#morganmurals

I love working in - and painting - the city of Hal

I love working in - and painting - the city of Half Moon Bay! This is the third commission from the city, this time in their main conference room in city hall. Beautiful fall weather, beautiful community. I love to joy.
#morganmurals #bayareamurals
#halfmoonbaymurals

Leighton is going to have sweet dreams in this ult

Leighton is going to have sweet dreams in this ultra soft cloud faux finish on the walls and ceiling, to match the cloudy presidio views of San Francisco.
Special thanks to @shannongeis for the great assistance.
#morganmurals

The one thing we need more than hope is action. T

The one thing we need more than hope is action.
This mural is on the corner of Third St and State St in downtown Los Altos. Thank you to Los Altos Investments for making this possible.

I am looking for more walls to paint More Greta murals.
#gretathunberg #fridaysforfuture #climatechangeisreal
#saveourplanet
#fridaysforfutureusa
#morganmurals
#bayareamurals
#downtownlosaltos @los_altos_communityinvestments

I finished up a new mural for Collins elementary i

I finished up a new mural for Collins elementary in Cupertino. Collins is the oldest continuous school in Santa Clara county, so we included the original schoolhouse. The banner includes drawings the kids made, and they are tactile (raised).
#lovemyjob
#morganmurals
#collinselementary
#bayareamurals

Anybody know a Lucas? I painted this mural in 2013

Anybody know a Lucas? I painted this mural in 2013 and my son is now a man and wants to put up Brockhamtpton posters. FREE to the first Lucas who claims it. It’s on lightweight pvc based panels; you have to come pick it up.

#morganmurals

The City if Half Moon Bay commissioned murals for

The City if Half Moon Bay commissioned murals for three conference rooms. The “Harvest Room” is the first in the series.
#morganmurals #halfmoonbaymurals

Back to school night for the parents in the new cl

I’m feeling proud of my most recent podcast epis

I’m feeling proud of my most recent podcast episode! I’m finally starting to loosen up... maybe too much.🤓 #morganmurals
#ifthesewallscouldtalk
#bayareaartist
#podcast