The Christmas he was 11, Tom Morgan was asked to draw two angels eight feet tall for his school – and for the first time, he realized people actually liked his artwork.

In the movies, Morgan would have gone on to incredible success as a renowned artist perhaps known by one name – commanding millions of dollars for his etchings.

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Instead, he chose a different path – an engineering degree and a steady career in corporate America lasting more than 30 years.

“I have been interested in art as far back as I can remember but never wanted to depend on artwork for a living,” Morgan says.

Whenever he could, though, he would draw – a Disney wall mural for son Ross, portrait drawing for friends, and work for charitable functions. Unlike other children, Ross would never use store-bought coloring books.

“I would constantly be finding new images from my childhood movies for my dad to draw for me,” Ross says. “They were always what I needed, far more realistic and detailed than any coloring books I had ever seen.”

All the while though, the desire to spend more time creating burned inside Morgan, and something heard along the way, the source long forgotten, would become a personal belief that grew stronger with time: that most extraordinary people are just ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

“This thought or sentiment really stuck with me; it makes you start to consider the possibility of doing more than you think you are capable of,” Morgan says. “The biggest single thing keeping people from trying to be extraordinary is the fear of failure.”

When Morgan turned 50, a true test of this belief came about when his company, Texas Instruments, offered an early retirement package.

Taking a “leap of faith,” Morgan followed his heart and started his own business of making art.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him develop skills as an adult, both in music and art. While I admire his talent, I really commend his self-motivation to pursue new endeavors,” says Susan, his wife.

“I have focused my interests on creating original oil interpretations of works by Kandinsky, Van Gogh and other masters,” Morgan says.

In addition to these and original compositions, Morgan also enjoys portrait sketching and other pencil drawings. Working personally with a client, Morgan will customize an original master’s work to fit their particular setting and taste by size or color, resulting in an original interpretation of a famous work.

His work also comes with an unbeatable guarantee – if a client isn’t happy with the artwork, Morgan will happily take it back at no charge.

“There are a lot of people who have a little dream that opens them up and makes them vulnerable. I realized I wanted to do something differrent, or more extraordinary, and the worst that could happen is that I would fail.

“So then the question became, ‘Why not?’ rather than ‘Why?’ I couldn’t think of a reason not to give it a shot, so happily, I trapped myself into trying it.”

For more information, visit Morgan’s website at www.right-step.com/morgart4u.