Morgan Weistling began his artistic training on his father’s lap at 19 months of age, where he learned how to draw and more importantly, use his imagination. Capitalizing on his father’s talent for telling a story in comic strip form, Morgan began to develop a sense of narrative in his drawing. “It was here that art became a language for me.” At the age of 12, Morgan applied his interest in art to studying his father’s art books and began his art school studies at the Brandes Art Institute at 15. Working in a Los Angeles art supply store while attending art school, Morgan chanced to show his artwork to a prominent illustrator. As a result of their encounter, at the age of 19, Weistling found himself employed at a top movie poster agency in Hollywood. For the next 14 years, Morgan illustrated for every movie studio in Hollywood.
With his masterful use of oils, Morgan Weistling brings a scene to life with spectacular lighting, creating a sense of wonder and engaging the viewer’s imagination and emotion. “There is a story underneath the story of my paintings,” Morgan adds, “I don’t hide the process of how I painted it. You can see the layers and count the strokes it took to get there. With some styles of painting, the closer you get to the canvas, the more you will see. With mine, the more you step back, the more detail you will see. That’s not easy, which is why it fascinates me.”
In all of his vibrant work, from western art to feminine forms, Weistling crafts a narrative, driven by clarity, focus and purpose, drawing on images inspired by his beliefs and scenes from daily life. “My hope is that people will enjoy viewing my artwork as much I enjoyed painting it. For me, art is my language used to communicate to others how I see God’s creation. When I experience another artist’s work, I love to see through their eyes and find out as much about the artist as the subject they painted. That is what makes art so interesting.”
Weistling, a highly sought-after teacher at the prestigious Scottsdale Artist School. Weistling and his artist wife JoAnn, whom he met in art school, have been married for 14 years. Their daughters are often a model in Weistling’s paintings. They make their home in California.