Angela Marie Morton

These days, I tend primarily to read nonfiction, though I am always on the hunt for a good work of fiction, especially one that has a certain indescribable, mystical, or metaphysical element to it. The four books below all have that quality, and I have enjoyed rereading them over the years. If you are looking for some unusual reads, I highly recommend the following titles: The Magician , by W. Somerset Maugham (published in the U.K., 1908; U.S. publication, 1909) I am a bit biased, as Maugham is my favorite author, but this book is a divergence from his other works. It is quite dark, verging on what some would call “Gothic horror.” The story takes place in both Paris and England in the early 1900s. A newly engaged, boringly pedestrian, and financially comfortable couple, Arthur and Margaret are introduced by a friend to Oliver Haddo, a pretentious, arrogant occultist. Things take an uncomfortable and sinister turn when Oliver uses his hypnotic powers to seduce and corrupt Margaret, as ...

photo by Angela Marie Morton When 2026 began, I knew it would bring changes to specific areas of my life, though I did not know exactly how, or when, it would all play out. I am currently in the midst of a new chapter, and I am doing my best to strike a balance between taking necessary and rightful actions, and letting go of worrying over aspects that are out of my control. Taking one day at a time, and not projecting too far ahead, or clinging to the past, have been helpful navigation tools. Fall has always been my favorite time of year, and I am finding the changing of the seasons particularly poignant this year, as I am also in a time of transition. Because I have been feeling scattered, I had a hard time writing this month’s post, but I remembered my intention when I first began this blog: to write one post a month, no matter what else was going on.  While September put that intention to the test, I was determined to follow through with the goal I had set for myself, even if no...

Cranes in Flight Over Water by Angela Marie Morton (click to purchase) While looking through my files for inspiration for this month’s blog post, I came across a short video I took as an experiment, when I was considering posting in-process clips of my art on social media. In the clip, I was working on a watercolor and brush pen drawing of several cranes in flight over water. What struck me as I watched it, were the pauses in between the brush pen strokes. It reminded me of what several famous composers and musicians have said about the space, or silence, between notes in a piece of music - that it is the critical element. In a world in which pauses and silence are generally viewed negatively, and to be avoided, I find it interesting that those moments are vital in providing shape and depth to various forms of artistic expression. In today’s culture, at least in the United States where I live, pauses are typically met with impatience, and silence with discomfort. Personally, I am comfo...

Throughout our lives, we get thrown curveballs, with varying degrees of seriousness and disruption. Some are minor nuisances that cause a temporary upheaval to our daily routines, while others are major, life-altering events. There are also the in-between types that are not catastrophes, but are significantly more than a short-term hassle.   The ways in which people handle and navigate these situations vary just as much as the situations themselves, and affect everyone differently. Depending on the season of life someone is in, something that may have been dealt with fairly seamlessly in the past becomes what feels like an insurmountable obstacle when confronted in the present moment. When going through something difficult, it can be hard to see clearly. At least, that has been the case for me, recently. Fortunately, I have a loving, helpful, and relentlessly logical husband, who will not allow me, or us, to fall into a pit of despair and immobility. All my years of yoga pract...

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with Ancient Greece, and the Greek Islands hold a particular interest for me. I do not know why I have such a pull towards Greece in particular, but I am sure it is partly due to my love of the sea. I dream of living within view of an ocean, and so much of Greece’s history has been shaped by the various bodies of water that surround the Islands and Mainland Greece. The iconic blue and white color palette of Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, and so many others, is catnip to me.   I am grateful to have had the good fortune to see various museum exhibits with Grecian artifacts over the years, and as an adult living in Oregon, for several years running, I would attend the annual Greek Festival put on by a Greek Orthodox church in Portland, immersing myself in the richness of the culture, food, and music of a country I longed to visit. While I have never been to Greece, my enthusiasm and appreciation for it has never dwindled, and I am alw...

Recently, I have been thinking about what it means to be an artist and to live an artist’s life, which was sparked by personal events that made it necessary for me to clarify my priorities and values. For me, the fundamental difference between being an artist, and living an artist's life, hinges on two basic elements: intention and focus. I am of the opinion that anyone who creates art is an artist. However, when an artist decides to give special priority to their own creativity, as much as their life reasonably allows, they are choosing to live an artist’s life. As an artist, as much as I am able, I organize my life and my time around my artistic pursuits. The amount of time I am able to allocate to my art will change depending on life circumstances, which is where the element of focus comes in. If something is important, we will make time for it, often at the expense of letting go of something else. Focus is required in order to make the most of the allotted time. To me, living a...

A section of one of my bookcases All you bibliophiles out there, this one is for you. I have been a reader all my life, and the 20+ years I spent working in bookstores provided me with amazing access to millions of books. I do not currently work in the book industry, but I am still an avid reader, and love to promote reading, share my knowledge, and write about all things book-related. That said, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my favorite writers, as well as include my favorite books by each of them. As I was putting this list together, I noticed several recurring themes. I don’t know what they say about me, or my taste in authors and books, but here are my observations: ○ All the writers are dead ○ Most of them were gay/lesbian ○ Several of them were from the American South ○ Catholicism is a recurring theme in many of their works ○ Buddhism and Eastern philosophies feature in several of my favorite titles ○ Spiritual journeys are central to quite a few of the books on...

Me, aged 29. Portland Japanese Garden, 2008  If you decide, as I have, to pursue your creative passion, steadfast belief in your work is necessary for motivation. Also, if you are serious about your craft, discipline is essential, especially if you are working alone. Creativity and talent are not enough on their own, and discipline is crucial for sticking with your creative endeavor over the long term. My own creative pursuit is art and illustration, and much of what I draw and paint is whimsical, spontaneous, and restrained. What appears on the surface to be a quick, minimal brush stroke, or a subtly soft pencil smudge has, behind-the-scenes, taken practice, objectivity, and refinement (and a lot of paper), all of which fall under the general heading of discipline. Without that key element, there is no improvement. Additionally, as living a creative-centered life is much more than simply making art, discipline is an extremely useful asset for structuring your days.  The oppor...

  Four Cranes Taking Flight from Water by Angela Marie Morton (click to purchase) As someone who prefers an unpleasant truth to a comforting delusion, I am unable to escape the reality of the current hellscape humans have brought upon our tiny blue dot called Earth, and upon all its inhabitants. Despite my best efforts and intentions to not actively participate in our collective doom, I, too, am complicit in contributing to it. As are we all, to varying degrees. By acknowledging this disturbing and unsettling fact, I am able to see it clearly, and take skillful, creative actions to counter it, using whatever means are available to me, and in ways that are aligned with my values and principles. One of those methods is through making and sharing art. That being said, at times I have worried that my work is not relevant to the events playing out in our daily lives. When I expressed this to my husband recently, he reminded me that, throughout history, people have continued to live thei...

A Winter's Walk photo by Angela Marie Morton Regardless of whether the previous year was a good one, or one I am glad to see the back of, I always enjoy the sense of a fresh start that January brings. As I usually do in December, I spent some time last month thinking about, and writing down, what I would like to work on in the new year, both artistically, and in all areas of my life. This helps solidify my intentions, and gives me that little nudge I need to stay motivated when I start to wilt, or when I become indecisive as to what to work on.  Creatively, I have lately been drawn to the concept of doing bodies of work that fit together as a theme. So far, I have 4 series planned, and have started working on each of them, to varying degrees. This might be the year of “fewer, but better.” Pair of Cranes through the Seasons (minis) Close-up of the minis First finished piece of the series Rough minis of a planned palm leaf series  Close-up of the minis Minis of a planned series:...

This recipe is an excellent one for the holidays, as it is not only simple and delicious, it makes a rather nice presentation. It is fancy enough to feel a bit elevated and special, but not too fancy as to make it cumbersome to prepare. As with all my recipes, feel free to use this more as a template, as there are so many yummy alternatives to use in your stuffing (I've listed a few at the end of the recipe to get you started). Simple Stuffed Acorn Squash Ingredients (I use frozen veggies, but fresh or canned are fine as well.) 1 acorn squash ½ cup brown rice, uncooked handful of frozen carrots handful of frozen corn handful of frozen kale handful of frozen mushrooms handful of frozen peas ⅓ block of firm or extra firm tofu Spices (I just shake out a little of each, and season to taste.) Black pepper Garlic salt Nutritional yeast Onion powder Instructions 1. Cook the rice a bit ahead of time so that it’s ready to add to the stuffing. 2. Carefully slice the acorn squash in half an...

As someone who has spent her entire life steeped in children’s literature, in one way or another, and as a strong advocate for encouraging reading, I truly enjoy sharing what I have learned with others. In addition to spending a large portion of my former bookstore career running children"s departments for many years, I also had an opportunity to deepen my knowledge of children's literature in an academic setting, which provided me with a historic perspective, specifically in regards to picture books. In order to complete my degrees in sociology and social science, during my senior year of college, I was required to take a research course, which was a semester-long group project. The class was broken into small groups, and we were given parameters and requirements for the project itself, as well as for the paper and presentation we would need to complete by the end of the term. Our group chose to research and analyze the evolution of gender roles in the Caldecott Award  winner...