Ken Morgan
Roller Coaster
2016
CGI (dye fused aluminum, "monoprint"); 1/1 Single Image
30" x 30"
$2800
Detailed image description for Rollercoaster
Ken Morgan’s Rollercoaster dye-fused aluminum monoprint measures 30 inches by 30 inches and was created in 2016. A “monoprint” is a single impression of an image made from a block of material. Our first impression is swirling bands of color, dominantly orange, yellow, red, and light blue. The colors swirl from the right to the left toward the center of the print. The swirling colors are so strong that at first that’s all we notice. Closer examination of the image reveals interesting details.
Those first-impression swirls all start and end on the left and right sides. There are about a dozen bands of multi-colored lines, with each band swirling separately, but in close synchronization with the ones on either side. The degree of curvature over the course of the swirl varies with the bands at the top and bottom bending very little, while the ones in the middle swirl sharply.
Going left to right, the direction of the swirl is downward at first, then moving upward until settling down again to relatively the same height on the right-hand side. No bands of color overlap. The bands near the center curve sharply upward and fold back on themselves, heading left again before another sharp bend returns them on their path to the right side. The further away from the center we get, the less curvature there is as the bands smooth out.
Colorful horizontal bands of colored lines weave in and out of the pattern of horizontal bands and never cross over on top of a major band. One of the vertical bands near the right side is solid red and wider than all the others, so it stands out and captures the viewers’ attention.
Behind all these bright bands of colors on the top left and lower right of the print appear to be fragments of office window frames just behind the bands. The shape of the window frames is cleverly distorted along with the bands of swirling color.
Written by Fred Brack, Arts Access Audio Describer
About Ken
Our lives are stories and we all live our own book.
The art part of my book ( as one might imagine) started early.
Watching birds.
The more color the better.
Gazing the solar system.
The less familiar the most interesting.
OBSERVATION
As time passed I became aware of the NEW YORK SCHOOL............America’s first offering to an International art scene.
Rothko and Louis, two of my favorites invited me to their worlds where I found no familiar bothers.
Intentional or not I found I was there by myself and I was content to stay. My original intention was to find my own “signature style”....but as I became familiar with the rest of these guys I found tip toeing through their shadows left pretty much no stone unturned and a narrow path of inquiry ahead........on a brighter note I did learn something from all of them.....albeit if what not to do by some.
With my own work I was finding my images like to roam (I take up a lot of room ) and I was wishing I could inject them with some new technology which my prior attempts failed to do.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
About 12 years ago a “routine by pass operation” resulted in my having a stroke on the table.
It left me with severe balance issues and a heavily damaged left side and as I like to say "a little dust on the shelves in the gray matter department."
My son bought me my first computer. A friend set me up with Photoshop and another friend scanned some images and set up my Tiff files. I isolated myself with the intentions of reinventing myself. Self-taught I entered the world of CGI ( computer generated imagery ). Involved like this for that many years I recently have had my images dye fused printed on aluminum.
Releasing myself from the collar of “ signature style” I have chosen to travel a path that allows me to go where ever the wind may blow. My images are the pebbles in this path........I merely ask one thing of them,........ “SURPRISE ME.”
PS........and leave the figure for others.
All images and text belong to Ken Morgan, except where noted.