The Christmas he was 11, Tom Morgan was asked to draw two angels eight feet tall for his school — and for the first time realized that 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. Instead, he chose a different path — an engineering degree and a steady career in corporate America lasting more than 30 years.

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“I have been interested in art as far back as I can remember but never wanted to depend on artwork for a living,” says Morgan. Whenever he could, though, he would draw — a Disney wall mural for his 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,” says Ross. “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 (from somewhere); it makes you start to consider the possibility of doing more than you think you are capable of,” says Morgan. “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 has 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 wife Susan.

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

In addition to these and his own original compositions, Morgan also enjoys portrait sketching and other pencil drawings. Working personally with a client, Morgan will cus-Morganize 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 tailored for the client.

His work also comes with an unbeatable guarantee — if a client is not happy with the artwork, Morgan will hap