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Alex Nash E DI TOR IA L A SS ISTA N T S Kevin Horvath
SPE C IA L T H A N K S Morgan Winter L.Y.F.E Studios
C ON TA C T alexnash@nativlabel.com sales@nativlabel.com WWW.NATIVLABEL.COM
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WITH MORGAN WINTER
In life, there tend to be situations that are out of your control. Whether by fate or sheer coincidence, these experiences can greatly impact your life in ways you never thought possible. This is pretty much how Morgan Winter and I crossed paths in late 2014. Through a chance conversation my Mother had with a store clerk in Nashville, I was given the contact information of a fellow artist and graphic designer also living in North Brooklyn. After brief emails back and forth we agreed to meet at Trophy Bar on the south side of Williamsburg, which also ironicly enough was a short walk from both of our apartments. I was searching for advice. At the time I was transitioning between creative jobs and wanted an opinion from a fellow designer trying to make a career off of their creativity. I appreciate that night very much as Morgan and her boyfriend Ted were very kind to me and genuinely enjoyed conversing about the trials and tribulations of being a New York City creative. For that I thank you both. Morgan Winter is an amazing artist and designer from Queens, NY. What I feel is most notable about her style is the strict use of black or white ink. I learned very early in design that color should be an afterthought, not a central focus. Morgan’s artwork embodies that philosphy to the fullest, proving that adding detail does not mean changing pen colors. Meet Morgan Winter, a beautiful young artist living and working in New York.
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Morgan Winter and I’m an artist. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Bayside, Queens which is the perfect medium between the suburbs and the city. You can walk to get pretty much anywhere you need to go, but it’s also easily accessible. It was big enough that not everyone was in your business that you passed on the street, but also your parents would trust you at a young age to go to the supermarket by yourself. Your nickname is “Morgometry”, how’d you come up with the name? Great question! This is actually a really cute story. Growing up in Bayside, Queens there were a lot of kids on our block that were around the same age. One of these kids named Peter had this nack for coming up with nicknames for all of our friends on the block. And one day he just called me Morgometry and it kind of stuck. And I kind of liked it, not many people actually called me that, but he was the one who called me that the most. When I went to go sign up for Twitter or something, that was really the first time I used the handle and I thought oh I like this, and used it for Instagram as well. Would you say that you’ve branded yourself in art as Morgometry? Or is there a sort of conflicted interest with going by both your name Morgan Winter and your pseudonym Morgometry? Oh I don’t know, I guess it’s a moniker that I use sometimes, I use it mostly when I know that people have found me through Instagram so they can relate to me. So they know what I’m talking about. How do you think growing up in New York City has influenced your work or perception of life in general? When I was really little I was under the impression that every movie featured a scene in New York. And I always thought it was because the movies were being tailored to us, and that in other places in the country or around the world they were each watching movies that tailored to them. Like Boulder, Colorado watched scenes about their city. And had in their movie theater different movies that in one scene they would touch down in the town or the closest city so that people could relate to it. So I never realized that I lived in such a big deal of a place until I was old enough to really go explore it. Which was I guess in the beginning of high school was when I would go into the city on my own or with my friends without my parents. I mean before that we would visit Chinatown a lot to see family, go shopping, and have dim sum and stuff but I got it confused with Flushing when I was really little (laughs).
“I NEVER REALIZED THAT I LIVED IN SUCH A BIG DEAL PLACE UNTIL I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO EXPLORe IT”
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I think that it’s influenced my work in the way that I’ve been able to be exposed to so much. I think that the fact that I’ve constantly been bombarded with so many noises and so much action going on all the time that it actually has contributed to me being a more introverted person. Where sometimes it all seems like too much. So I become reflective and quiet and I appreciate the quiet time and the time I get to think about what I do and my own thoughts. I think the biggest influence is to learn how to filter and shut things out. I really loved the chaos for a while you know, but the town that I’m from didn’t feel as big but it was still pretty big.
Being
introspective and I don’t necessarily know if I would be as introspective as I am if it were not for the sort of environment that the city offers. It’s allowed me to seek out specifically the things that I’m interested in, and easily access it. You’re half Chinese and half Jewish. I’ve noticed since moving to New York
that
everyone
essentially
knows
their
ethnic
backgrounds and heritage. How was that growing up being half one culture, and half another culture? Is there anything especially that stands out in your artwork? I grew up in New York and I guess the town of Bayside is more of a bubble that I realized. Or maybe New York is more of a bubble than people realized. Because I didn’t realize that some people didn’t go to school with diversity until I went to college. I was not the only half asian half white mix growing up. It was interesting, but it wasn’t that special. There were at least 3 or 4 other families in our middle school that were a same or similar mix. It was just sort of a thing you know, call em “Chews” (Chinese-Jew). You have all of these mixes and it wasn’t that weird of a thing. I think it was actually weirder that I didn’t speak Cantonese, that was the thing that surprised people. What about your drawing style, I see a heavy Asian influence. Is that mainly because of heritage or do you think you’re just attracted to that type of style? I think that subconciously it seeps out in everything and that part of it is guilt for not speaking the language. I swear to God because I feel a disconnect and it hurts. I guess it’s not impossible thing to learn another language but it’s really hard for some people (laughs). But when I was growing up we had all these big pots with plants in them and embroidered tapestries and even the cushions on the chairs that had these beautiful patterns on them and I would sit there and stare at them. My sister and I would sit there and count the 100 birds tapestry that’s supposed to be for good luck, that everyone in our family has once they buy a house.
Sometimes
you wouldn’t believe you could fit 100 birds in there so we would sit and count them. And I just remember being fascinated, these images were so lush and to me that was the most beautiful thing. So I studied it and I started to try and recreate it, I don’t think I ever really succeded. I think that even when I deviate it still comes out and that’s because it’s a part of me now.
I love the fact that you use black and white to create
Do you have any influences that stand out in
your artwork.
helping mold your approach to drawing or subject
My peers always said that color
should be an after thought and distracts from the
matter?
composition of the work. What makes you gravitate
Aubrey Beardsley from the late 1800s, he didn’t
towards black and white composition rather than
consider himself part of the art nuvo movement but
color?
a lot of people loop him in with it because he does a lot of florals and different pattern work. But he is an
Very similar reasons that you just stated. I have
amazing pen and ink artist and I think the first time
training in graphic design and that was one of the
I saw his work it blew me away. I wanted to do that,
things that when you go to make a composition/
I just wanted to do that. The fact that he could
design you do it in black and white first and then
make something so impactful and use so little lines,
you add color later. Color seemed like a gimmick to
everything was arranged just in the right way and it
me. That and I think that it’s also another after
was just magic. I just remember seeing some of his
effect of feeling like I’m being bombarded with
images and just thinking that it was magic and that
things sometimes where I feel that I am more free to
I wanted to make that kind of magic. I still look at his
create when I pair down the materials. So it’s like
drawings today and sometimes try and copy them.
you have a piece of paper and a black pen and a black pencil and just go, do it. You can’t hide. To
Not too long ago you linked up with Leica camera.
me pairing it down frees me in a way that I’m not
Can you talk a little bit about the collaboration and
saying I could use anything in the world, it’s saying
overall experience with Leica, as well as the
no focus on this, use it, do what you can and it’s
showing at the legendary Seventh Letter gallery?
also a challenge in a way to say like alright push yourself, what else can you do with this and I don’t think that I’m anywhere near finding out what I can do with black and white.
I was involved with Leica through a third party
I was involved with Leica through a third party marketing group. So I can’t really speak for dealing with Leica directly just because I didn’t actually deal with them that much directly. And so it was cool, the show came together pretty quickly. I had been working on some camera drawings for six months but not very intensely, and the marketing group tested them out at Art Basel in 2013 at the Leica tent.
Apparently people received
them well, and they thought it would be a good idea to try and reach another audience and expand on this non photographic artistic expression. So I did a bunch of logo explorations and camera drawings and it went over really well. The people at the Seventh Letter are amazing. They really respect artists. I feel that first of all they are fans and they love the work. They appreciate the work that other people do and it’s super encouraging. I was intimidated even though it was supposed to be a solo show featuring my work, like I was supposed to walk in there and feel like the boss of things but I was so humbled by the entire experience. You’ve been working outside of paper, and have seen your art manifest itself on surfboards, jewelry, and now clothing. How does it feel to see your art living and breathing in totally new ways and why do you feel it’s important to get outside the piece of paper sometimes? It’s really cool to see people wearing my shirts, especially my friends because they have closets full of t-shirts and they want to wear mine which is so flattering. I think that people view me now as part of this art world and I don’t really feel a part of it, it feels so aloof to me and I don’t quite understand it. I can relate to graffiti artists in the way that I think art should be for everybody. I think that self expression is extremely important. I think that you should be able to obtain something that you like, humans are so unique in the way we tell stories and make things with our hands. So in a way appreciating or sharing art is a very uniquely human experience and it should belong to everybody and so when I make a print on a t-shirt, paper, button, or tote bag I think it makes it accessible. It allows you to have this item that is functional and incorporates self expression into how you see fit.
Not everyone has the means to buy and display art,
especially original art so I think that having these items that are easily obtainable spreads the love.
Did you go to school for art and if so where? How do you feel that it’s influenced your artwork in concept and design? I went to the Fashion Industries High School which was a really cool experience. I thought for a really long time that I wanted to be a fashion designer, but then I went to college at FIT for fashion design and quickly learned that I was not cut out for that world. I started getting bored designing clothing and so after I got my Associates for fashion design I went on to communications and graphic design which broadened my view of how we can use functional artwork and how aesthetics can be applied. I don’t have any fine art training besides a couple of life drawing classes and fashion illustration courses which were strictly for fashion of course. So I learned a couple of techniques from there that I quickly abandoned (laughs). I feel like creative’s like to mention their successes and not enough about their shortcomings. What are some of the obstacles you’ve had to overcome being a young artist in New York City? The mentality of most of the people in New York, when I say most I mean 90% of people in New York is that you are what you do, you are calculated by your successes and your failures and if you don’t have a full time job then you better be really fucking successful at what you’re trying to be doing or else you’re a failure. And that kind of mentality hinders you. Being in the city isn’t the only way to live, it’s expensive and not really realistic for artists to live here anymore. I guess one of the struggles would be money, the judgment you feel sometimes from other artists and peers that I do my best to ignore. I feel that I’m following a path that is natural to me, and that if I try to deviate from it I’m doing a disservice to myself. Do you have any gallery shows, events, or ways you are selling your work that you could tell us about? I am participating in a couple of markets coming up selling t-shirts, prints, and jewelry. So that is the Williamsburg Artist&Fleas And I have couple of collaborations coming up with an imaginary surf company as well as Emily Danger who is an amazing talented singer and songwriter with her partner in crime John Wells. I’m also looking to show my work.
How can people reach you? To see my-, art portfolio please visit www.morgometry.com. My Intstagram and Twitter handles are @MORGOMETRY and you can email me at hello@morgometry.com. I am open for collaborations, ideas, and am also available for commissions! Is there anything else you’d like to share? “I wish I could burp on command”
Up c om ing Event s March 20th 2015, 8pm / Showcase at Open Door in Long Island City / new work and limited run screen prints / @ OpenDoorLIC April 23rd / Collaborative piece featured in Jeffrey Breslow's `Bolder & Boulder' sculpture exhibition / Chicago's Willis Tower / jeffreybreslow.com May 14th - June 14th / showing at Lost Weekend NYC / works in collaboration with Imaginary Surf Co. / lostweekendnyc.com / imaginarysurf.com June 20th / Solo show at The Greenpoint Gallery / new work, one night only / thegreenpointgallery.com July - August / showing at HiFi in the East Village / theHiFibar.com