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Joe Morgan | Morgan Reptile Replicas
[Perma Link]Joe Morgan | Morgan Reptile Replicas
Q: How long have you been an artist and what got you into art?
I’ve been drawing since I was at least twelve years old but at the age of sixteen, I started taking art lessons on the weekends. I learned how to work with pastels and how to do oil paints. I would do landscapes and whatnot, but for what I am doing now, I am really self-taught. I learned through trial and error and years of experience.
Q: What got you so interested in making reptile reproductions?
I was a park ranger for more than 30 years and I really enjoyed being in the wilderness. We had some nature programs and in order to teach the kids about snakes, we would often taxidermy the snakes that we had found dead in the woods. I did this for a while but they don’t last forever this way and I wanted something more permanent. So I started making models of the snakes and other creatures from the real specimens. None of what I do now is taxidermy, they are all models from molds that I make or woodcarvings.
Q: How did it progress into what you are doing now?
I thought I was going to retire long ago after being a park ranger in Greensboro, but I enjoyed doing this, and I like snakes, so I just kept doing it. I’ve had the shop about seven years, but I first started selling the replicas in 1989. I have models of snakes, lizards, frogs, crabs, salamanders, birds, fish and various other amphibians. We have over 270 reptiles and amphibians to choose from and I’m always looking for new specimens to add to the collection. At first, I sold them in an unfinished form but I have developed an intricate process over the years that actually allows the reptiles to look like they are still alive. Having them look so realistic seems to be what people want the most, but you can still get them unfinished.
Q: How do you sell them, and who buys them?
Our shop in Liberty, called Liberty Artisan & Craft Guild Gallery, has a room where Morgan Reptile Replicas are on display. The gallery has become an attraction to the area, but some people come in just for curiosity and end up buying things they never dreamed of. A lot of people love snakes and such but may not want a real one. Most of my clients come from my website. I've sold them to people all over the U. S. and to people in other countries, too. A lot of people come in from news and magazine articles that have been written about my replicas, and they’ve been featured on television several times, too. I make them for nature centers, military bases, nature and science museums, and even for movie sets. I do custom orders as well.
Q: What other kinds of things do you sell in your shop?
We have a variety of different things for sale including books on the area, honey and bee-related items, stones and semi-precious rocks, art, handmade jewelry, and an array of gifts and crafts. We even have a bed and breakfast next door that's a quaint place for people to stay for up to a week at a time. We’ve made friends with people from all over the world by offering this.