Editor's Note: There are lots of super-talented people in the costume industry, and one of them is Jim Lawrence, graphics manager for Morris Costumes. In addition to his work for Morris, he is a visual artist. He answers a few questions in this interview.
How long have your worked for Morris Costumes, and what do you do for them?
I have been working at Morris for 42 years. I am the graphics manager. I am responsible for catalogs, newsletter publications, trade show management, product development.
Did your interest in painting precede your employment at Morris? When did you get started?
From a very early age I had an interest in monster movie characters. Back in the sixties Aurora Models offered Monster Model Kits and I was hooked. I had everyone of them and they all had to be painted. From 6 years on I have been painting. So yes you can say I had an interest in painting well before I started working for Morris.
How did you learn painting?
This goes back to my earlier answer. I would have to say 1979 and the movie Alien changed my way of painting. The Alien creator was an artist by the name of H.R. Giger. He was an airbrush artist from Zurich, Switzerland. His organic, translucent, biomechanical style inspired me to start painting with an airbrush. Also his attention to detail was second to none. So from that point on tried to mimic his organic look. Soon after seeing the movie Alien I started a 3-1/2 year project at Morris and this project taught me how to airbrush. It was a great learning tool to say the least. Over the years working for Morris allowed me the opportunity to get to know some of the best special effects artist in around. These include Henry Alvarez, Ed Edmunds, Don Post, Steve Wang, Bob Short, Greg Nicotero, Rick Baker and Stan Winston to name a few. All of these super talented people inspired me tremendously.
What are your favorite types of paint/media?
Over years I have I learned to paint with a brush and an airbrush and use both on most of my projects.
How much time do you devote to your painting?
I paint almost every day. It is the one thing that has held my interest since I was a kid and that was a long time.
