Q & A | Illustrator Caleb Morris

Caleb Morris is a 32-year-old professional designer and illustrator who arrived in muggy Atlanta from muggy Gulfport, Mississippi, where he washed dishes and created images for Mardi Gras floats. He brought with him a distinct artistic style that he’s developed over years and has subsequently caught the eye of iconic brands such as MTV Networks, How Magazine, Diesel Clothing Co. and more.

His work combines illustration, painting, and digital mediums — it all coalesces into a distinct aesthetic he calls his own. Currently working in his own studio along with his dog assistant Artie, Morris follows a rigorous schedule that had him answering the following questions on a measly four hours of sleep. His portfolio is packed full of interesting characters inspired by personal imagination and original creations he concocted within boundaries of corporate demands.

Morris continues his artistic pursuits while red-eying nights away, and his schedule keeps getting more and more packed. Soon, he’ll be setting up a table at the ICON7 Rhode Show in Providence, Rhode Island, attending a group show at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, Ca. and heading to a museum exhibit at the Orange County Great Park. Plus, he’s developing a children’s book and continually drawing, so sleep doesn’t seem like a luxury he’ll indulge any time soon.

Here, he talks to us about his favorite Atlanta creatives, the South and his favorite personal projects.

CommonCreativ: How do you typically get inspired?

Caleb Morris: I wish I knew so that I could go to that all of the time. Mostly looking at  old photos, movies and eavesdropping on people while I’m out sketching and using parts of their stories to dig deeper into an idea.

CC: If you’re the type to typically wait for inspiration, what do you do when you really need it, say when a deadline is rapidly approaching?

C.M.: With deadlines, it’s usually research that will get me going or sitting down and getting all of the bad ideas out to make room for the good ones.

CC: You’re originally from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Does that influence your artwork at all?

C.M.: I think everything around you influences you in one way or another. I grew up with poor and working class people and those are the stories I gravitate towards. I also lived in Mobile, Alabama for a while where I learned to sculpt and paint figures that go on Mardi Gras floats, I think that had a huge influence on how I approach drawing and painting. I’ve had to build everything from the Taj Mahal to Wolverine so you build a large mental library of reference.

CC: How would you describe your art?

C.M.: People tell me that the characters I draw capture emotions that speak to them and that they can always tell it’s my work if they see it somewhere. I’m not good at fancy descriptions of my work. I think it came naturally after spending hours and hours everyday drawing. If you work on anything that much, you find your own shorthand for things that make up your style.

CC: What’s more satisfying for you: working on the project or seeing it finished, and why?

C.M.: I think working on it is better for me. I feel satisfied with the final version for about an hour or two but then I’m ready to move onto the next one. 

CC: You’ve worked with some high-profile clients (e.g. MTV). How do you work within the confines of a large corporation’s stipulations while keeping your art’s personality intact?

C.M.: It can be hard, I do work for advertising agencies and some of the rules clients have can bring the creativity of a project down. I’ve worked on projects where my style didn’t come through, and I think the final work suffered, but mostly you hope for a good creative director that will fight for you and help the work be the best it can be.

CC: What’s your favorite personal/commercial project of yours and why?

C.M.: I’ve got a couple of books that I’m working on that I’m excited about, one about past co-workers and another about Johnny Appleseed, I’m hoping to pitch them in the next couple of months. For commercial projects, I had a great time working on a few portraits for How Magazine for their March ’12 issue. Great art direction, fun faces to work with, and it came at Thanksgiving, so I had a couple extra days to not stress.

CC: Can you describe the greatest feeling art has ever given you, whether directly or indirectly?

C.M.: It’s hard to pick just one… I’ve been lucky to have people come up to me at gallery openings or send a quick email and tell me that a particular piece has affected them on some level, that’s always cool to hear. Also, anytime I get to travel because of my work, I always take a minute to step back and think that drawing pictures got me there.

CC: How do you feel about the art scene around Atlanta, and who are some of your favorite creatives in the area?

C.M.: The Atlanta art scene seems strong. I haven’t had a chance to get involved as much as I’d like because I’m always stuck at home working, but some of the stuff I have seen is cool.  It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go check out new stuff, so I can’t think of any names off the top of my head, but I’m always up for suggestions. Maybe this will get me up from the drawing table to go see what I can find.

CC: When did you know illustration was your calling? 

C.M.: I always had family members that were great artists and a couple of kids at school that could draw better than me, so I didn’t really stand out until middle school. But I like being around people that I think are better painters, designers since it makes me work harder.

CC: What’s the next project on you have coming up?

C.M.: Right now I’m working on a couple of portfolio pieces before I head off to ICON7, the Illustration Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. I also have to finish a few pieces for gallery shows coming up in L.A. and on the Gulf Coast then a children’s book and hopefully my own children’s book that I’m getting ready to pitch. Oh, and some storyboards here and there.

See him tonight at ABV Gallery’s Drink and Doodle, from 8pm-11pm. More info here.