Charlottesville - To say that Jamie Morgan is spunky might possibly be the understatement of the year.  If you have seen her at a show, or in any public setting, the first thing that likely popped into your head was that she looks like the happiest person in the world.  Her smile is as infectious as it is big, and it doesn’t take long to realize that her quirky charm permits her to meet people from all walks of life.  Jamie is an artist in the truest sense of the word.  She paints what she feels, and doesn’t put herself in a corner when it comes to what she likes to put on canvas.  Sure, there are similarities in a lot of her works, but each is equally different from the last.  Live painting is fairly new to Jamie, though the list of bands that she has painted for would lead you to believe otherwise.  She has painted live for the Disco Biscuits, Emancipator, Rusko, Perpetual Groove, EOTO, and Orchard Lounge, just to name a few.  Jamie surrounds herself with art on a daily basis, whether she is working in her studio, painting at a live show, or promoting her boyfriend and well-known artist Jonathon Blake (aka CrazyRedBeard) as he travels from show to show.  As each day passes, more and more people are starting to realize the talent that Jamie possesses, and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

Over the past few months I have bumped into Jamie from time to time at several different shows in the area.  I had an opportunity at an event last year to take a look at a collection of works that she had put together, and immediately I knew that I wanted to learn more about Jamie as a person and as an artist.  I had that opportunity in March, and couldn’t wait to get started.  I sat down with Jamie and had a conversation that led me on a journey through the stimulating mind that is “JAMS.”   

33: For those that might not have had the pleasure to see your work, tell me a little bit about yourself as an artist.
Jamie Morgan: I started live painting March of last year in Charlottesville for Future Rock.  CrazyRedBeard invited me to paint at that show.  I guess I really got serious about painting six year ago when I found this huge canvas in a dumpster in Lexington.  I went back behind our house and painted it while it was raining.  I covered the canvas with this cheap teal paint I got from Walmart.  It was awesome!  I have always been really into art.  After I did my first painting, people started to take notice, and I started to pursue it more.

33: Just from looking at your paintings, your style is incredibly unique.  How would you describe it?
JM: I feel like art is this momentary escapism type of experience.  I try to create these reality worlds where I can create them and cement them and make them an actual reality because I am painting them in real life.  It’s these worlds where everything is kind of floating around, and colors are neon and bright.  I also paint a lot of creepy stuff, too, like skulls and dead animals and stuff like that.

33: Are you improvising when you paint, or have you thought it all out beforehand?
JM: I think for me I tend to feed more off of the people than the music when I paint at shows.  I am definitely a people person, and I like to see what the kids are doing and how they are reacting rather than painting how the music sounds or how it affects me.  At one show I was painting all of these skulls, and one kid was like, “This makes me not fear death.”  I thought that was the coolest reaction to my art that I have every received.  It was such a cool compliment.  I think that is how I am dealing with mortality, with all of the 2012 rumors and weird stuff.  Maybe I am painting skulls and weird stuff like that to put a softer note on it.

 33: Well, since you brought it up, what do you think about the 2012 thing?
JM: I haven’t really researched it, because I know that if I do, I will probably start to freak out and become fully involved with the whole thing.  I mean, they had to stop at some date because the rock is only so big.  I am completely avoiding it because I feel like I will get sucked in and not be able to focus on anything else.

33: So far, what is your favorite moment as an artist?
JM: As a live painter, I got to paint backstage in the VIP lounge with Camp Bisco 9 in upstate New York.  I was with all of these cool people like the Disco Biscuits.  I got to paint on stage in front of thousands of people while Rusko played.  I used to listen to him when he was on his podcast back in the UK in 2004, and it was pretty cool to get to meet him in person.  My favorite art moment is kind of silly.  I had this group show at the Isolated Article Gallery, and I did this painting of a cat with a huge dick.  My dad walked into the show, and I didn’t want him to see this really weird, erotic painting that I had done.  The look on his face was priceless, and that was probably my favorite moment.

33: How has the reception in the live painting scene been for you?
JM: Recently, I have seen a lot more women live painters, or just live painters in general.  Back when I first started, I think I was one of the only ones, and at first it was weird.  I would have weird instances with drunk guys every once in a while.  They would be all around me, knocking over all of my shit.  For the most part it has been awesome though.  It is probably a little easier for me to get into shows than it is for the guys.  I think it’s empowering and fun, and it’s great to see women and men coming together to make awesome art.

33: Where does your inspiration come from?
JM: I have a few favorite artists, like Maya Hayuk from Brooklyn that uses a lot of bright colors and does a lot of overlapping and geometric shapes.  She has been one of my favorite artists since I was 13.  Also, I guess life, and the decomposing of bodies and the idea of going back to nature.  I also like glittery things, so I guess it’s just that I like all of the random little occurrences that happen throughout the day that become magnified in my mind and at some point end up in a painting.

33: What is your perfect live painting scenario?
JM: I have gone on a few trips to New York with Jon, so I would really like to do some shows in New York.  I really enjoy gallery showings where the atmosphere is a little calmer.  I would like to do a big gallery show where I can see everything and hang everything and make a full presentation of it all.  I have been doing a lot of tooth paintings, with all of these weird teeth and warped faces.  I would love to have some type of showing where all of them are shown collectively.  A gallery in Richmond would be really cool since that whole scene has been really supportive of me.

33: What is something that very few people know about you?
JM: I guess it’s that I grew up on a sailboat.  My mom and dad retired in their early 40s, and we went on the boat when I was two and stayed on it until I was about eight.  We sailed all over the East Coast and down south into the Caribbean.  It was awesome, and I think it probably made me really weird and is one of the reasons that I am a little bit of a weirdo.  I didn’t have that kid interaction because all of my friends were Jimmy Buffett Parrot Heads.  Looking back on it, it would be really cool to paint at one of the shows that Jimmy Buffett is playing this summer in Virginia.

You can learn more about Jamie at Facebook.com/JAMS.  She also has an ETSY shop online that should have some of her paintings up real soon.  If anyone from Jimmy Buffett’s camp is reading this, how about giving Jamie a shot!  You know it would be awesome!

By Director and Correspondent: Brandon Samuel

Brandon is a native of the Richmond area, having lived here for the past 15 years.  He attended Longwood University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.  Brandon’s dream has always been to get into the music industry, and he decided that his love for writing and music would be the perfect foot in the door.  Brandon enjoys going to as many show as possible and has a strong desire to see local bands succeed.  Seeing both local and mainstream bands is the best way to truly enjoy their music, and Brandon wants to bring the whole experience of seeing a live show to the loyal readers of Magazine33.