Age: 35
Originally from: Hingham
Lives in: A group home in Watertown
Studio: Four days a week, Morse works at Outside the Lines Studio in Medford alongside other artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Colorful, spirited art hangs everywhere. Each artist has their own workspace. Morse has a paint-splattered table and an easel. Canvases — some blank, some unfinished — stand against the wall.
“Art is the sensory thing he’s able to engage in on his own terms,” said Morse’s case manager Phoenix Stoddard.
How he started: When Morse was a teen living at Cardinal Cushing Centers in Hanover, art teacher Randy Wiskow spotted his talent.
“He was very shy, and Randy finally coaxed him into doing miniature drawings and built up Nick’s confidence until he was doing bigger, more slashing paintings,” said his father, former Globe music critic Steve Morse. “I’d gotten calls from Cardinal Cushing saying, ‘Your son broke a window today.’ Always frustrating news. And all of a sudden I get a letter from Randy that said, ‘I think your son has genius ability in art.’”
What he makes: The City Winery show features Morse’s acrylic paintings. He also favors oil stick and markers. Dozens of drawings in a flat file at the studio bustle and seethe with color and strong gestures.
“In his mind, maybe there’s a connection to the representational world,” said Cynthia Barnes, the studio’s program director, “but the resulting image is always abstract.”
How he works: “Movement is very important to Nick,” said Barnes. “He spends a large chunk of his day moving about the space because that’s what makes him feel comfortable. Making him feel comfortable helps him feel creative.”
Playlist: It’s wide-ranging, and includes Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, and Noah Kahan.
Painting Installation tips: “I’ll say to him, ‘Which is the top?’ And he won’t tell you,” Steve said. “He has this impish grin. He has no ego about the way it should go.”
Why he makes art: As with many artists — because he is compelled to.
“Art has given him so much satisfaction and self-esteem,” Steve said.
NICK MORSE ART
At City Winery, 80 Beverly St., through April 30. citywinery.com/boston
Cate McQuaid can be reached at catemcquaid@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram @cate.mcquaid.
