Local artist Nick ‘NACK’ Morris is used to his artwork being displayed on large canvases. His murals adorn buses, buildings, and billboards from Habersham County to Seattle. Now, he’s sharing his work in a more intimate setting at Piedmont University’s Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art (MSMA) in Demorest.
Morris’ exhibit Single File Consciousness opened this month and runs through mid-November. It includes 20 new paintings and drawings Morris describes as “fast-moving still life landscapes.”
You can see and feel the “fast-moving” element in the geometric lines of his mesmerizing paintings. It’s a technique he employs to great effect.
From junkyard to museum
Many often associate the art world with elitism, but for this North Georgia native, his art is all about accessibility.
In 2012, Morris teamed up with Alonzo Wade’s Used Cars in Alto and, with help from other artists, turned their abandoned bus yard into an art installation. Each year Morris organizes a three-day painting event with dozens of artists at this unique local landmark.
“When people see what we are doing, I want them to realize that art is for everyone,” Morris told Fox Five News in 2019. “Art can exist anywhere, and anyone can do it. It’s not about big shows or galleries. It’s random. It’s temporary. it’s out there, you just gotta find it.”
“Out there” is where Morris says he finds his creative inspiration: “Being with friends, having fun, seeing the world, being out in nature, seeing how things connect with nature – like the shell of a turtle and like how you can see that.”
Morris’ gallery art is a continuation of his mural art, but the journey from junkyard to museum hasn’t been easy. It’s taken him years, with many miles in between.
“I have been trying to have shows, whether we were in Seattle or Florida or wherever. Just reaching out to those places and letting them know that I exist and I’m here.”
Fulfilling a mission
Morris traveled across the United States and returned home to Cornelia with the mission to bring art to his community. It’s a mission he’s fulfilling.
Beyond the School Bus Graveyard and walls of MSMA, you can view his artwork at other locations around town. The Hollow Log frame shop his family owns in Cornelia and the Copper Pot restaurant in Clarkesville feature Morris’ murals, among other locations.
He’s now working on a project with Piedmont’s art club students, designing and painting a mural on a wall along College Drive. The project was conceived to coincide with Morris’ museum exhibit and will greet visitors to the university’s performing arts center long after Single File Consciousness has closed.
Those wanting to view his exhibit at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum can do so now through November 16. Admission is free. The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. It is located at 567 Georgia Street in downtown Demorest.
Morris’ artwork is for sale. You can contact him through Instagram @nacknomore, or through the director of Piedmont’s art museum, Rebecca Brantley, at [email protected].
