James Morgan, b. 1947, Goshen, Utah, (United States)

Raised in a small town in Central Utah, James Morgan grew up with a fervent interest interested in the outdoors, wild animals, and birds. He spent as much time as possible hunting and fishing, and those early adventures in the marshes and mountains instilled in him an appreciation and interest in wildlife and nature. Many of Morgan’s artistic inspirations come from the rural area where he resides in Cache Valley. Surrounded by mountains, marshes, and wildlife, he is never very far from inspiration.

Morgan is an artist who stresses the importance of the natural landscape in his compositions. While he emphasizes the backgrounds, he seeks to achieve a balance between the subject and its environment. This harmony is further aided by the play of light and shadow and subtle color changes. Morgan is intrigued by his observations of nature and concentrates on the effects of light on these elements; the resulting array of colors adds nature’s ever-changing moods.

In a profile in "Sporting Classics", writer Tom Wharton said, “Morgan searches for different ways to express the beauty he sees in nature. Some would rank Morgan among the world’s best contemporary wildlife artists. His style, however, is not realistic or detailed, which has proven so popular among collectors. Instead, he plays with light, brush strokes, and texture much like an impressionist. His art captures the feeling of a moment in the wild, where the movement of a well-camouflaged bird or animal might be all a hunter sees out of the corner of his eye.”