BIOGRAPHY


   

Thomas R. Morrison is an American figurative sculptor living and working in New Orleans. He spent the first decade of his career sculpting a diverse range of commissions in Los Angeles, New York, and New Orleans for fine artists, film productions, and major corporations. Then in 2000 he joined Royal Artists Inc. to apply his lifelong study of classical art to Mardi Gras parades. Morrison was quickly promoted to Vice President, winning critical and popular acclaim for his artistry, and Best Parade awards for his distinctively elegant sculptures and designs. Morrison now sculpts naturalistic allegorical figures for discerning collectors of fine bronze.

 

      A sample of past commissions:
 
 
Earthbound
(film) • Sculpted a 10’ high interactive glacial mountain set
 
 
  Jonah Hex (film) • 6’ tall General Lee, 100’ long Battleship Set, 130’ long Cave Set  
 
  Royal Artists Inc. • Designed, sculpted, and art-directed the Krewe of Hermes parade and ran the Special Projects Division that served the innovative needs of our their most ambitious clients from New Orleans, LA to Mobile, AL  
 
  Krewe of Proteus • Proteus sculpture for signature float  
 
  St. Vincent Guest House, New Orleans • Three-quarter life-scale torso of Pandora  
 
  Cincinnati Zoo • Life-scale gorillas and cheetahs plus signage for the Zoo’s front entrance.  
 
  Danielle Anjou • Quarter-scale sculpture "Yes" for limited-edition bronze casting  
 
  Burning Man 2002 • Transoceanic Aphrodite, 10ft high  
 
  The Audubon Institute • A 12X life-scale exhibit featuring a female Argiope aurantia with web  
 
  Danielle Anjou • Life-scale enlargement of her quarter-scale sculpture "Gratitude" for bronze casting  
 
  Rue de La Course (Café), New Orleans • Architectural gargoyles for two locations  
 
  New Orleans Gargoyle • Designed and sculpted the original gargoyle bearing Medusa’s head  
 
  Festival of Fins • Designed and sculpted the Ignatius J. Reillyfish and three other fanciful creations  
 
  George Dureau • Sculpted the Tribute to a River God pediment adorning Harrah’s Casino  
 
  Harrah’s Casino, New Orleans • Figures and two 30’ sculptures: Fire Float and Earth Float  
 
  Krewe of Endymion • Sculpted the S.S. Endymion super-float  
 
  New Orleans Children’s Hospital • Designed and sculpted the Bayou Princess fountain  
 
  Nine Muses Restaurant • Designed and sculpted a classical sconce depicting the nine Muses  
 
  Knights of Camelot Krewe • Designed and sculpted a knight riding a rearing horse, 10’ high  
 
  Showboat Casino • Sculpted ornate custom columns, 12’ high  
 
  Krewe of Orpheus • Portrait of George Washington, 10’ high  
 
  Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure • Nine Moorish rooftop spires, 8’ to 12’ high  
 
  Blaine Kern • Sculpted a bust of Blaine Kern Sr. at 1.5 times life-scale  
 
  Audubon Institute • Sculptures of microbes for educational installation, 5’ to 6’  
 
  Mardi Gras Krewes • Various props for the major New Orleans parades  
 
  MCA/Universal Studios • Dueling Dragons roller coaster ride prototypes  
 
  Ethel M. Chocolate Company • Two M&Ms characters and interior and exterior arches  
 
  Harley-Davidson Café • 30ft replica of the 1997 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softtail motorcycle  
 
  Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans • Three-tier fountain for lobby, 8’ high  
 
  Shaquille O’Neal • A life-scale portrait of the basketball star for Sneaker Stadium  
 
  Treasure Bay Casino • Half-size replica of the 1997 Jeep Cherokee  
 
  Showboat Casino • Two masked Mardi Gras faces, 6’ high, and interior décor  
 
  Orleans Casino, Las Vegas • Three 10ft alligators in trademark style, with instruments  
 
  Acclaim Entertainment, New York • Research and Development and Digital Production Groups • Developed life-like digital characters for fully interactive cybernetic cities, and generated characters and sets for the Full Motion Video segments of the Magic the Gathering: Battlemage video game  
 
  Disneyworld • Character statuary for the Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course  
 
  Harrah’s Casino, New Orleans • Interior figures and architectural elements  
 
  Game Isle • Life-size tree for the San Francisco gaming center, 20’ high  
 
  Kern Sculpture Company • Scale models of Mardi Gras float concepts for Las Vegas Casinos  
 
  MCA/Universal Studios • Scale-model landscaping for the Jurassic Park ride  
 
  Disneyland • Creatures of Extinction animatronic park attraction, 30’ long Parasaurolophus  
 
  Disney Stores • Life-size Gaston character from Beauty and the Beast  
 
  Warner Brothers • 1” to 4” Bugs and friends for the Mel Blanc Commemorative Collectors’ Set  
 
  Aloha Towers, Honolulu • Four bronze life-size hula girls for exterior  
 
  Disney Stores • Fantasia’s dancing hippo, life-scale  
 
  Warner Brothers Stores • Bugs Bunny and friends for “Great American Legends” display  
 
  Puppetmaster (film) • Scale model of creature lair  
 
  Creative Presentations, Inc. • Life-size winged angel for animatronic Korean stage show  
 
  Republic Pictures • Giant lifelike eagle for entertainment convention, 10’ wingspan  
 
  Warner Brothers • Mechanized miniatures for London store architectural model  
 
  In Search of Dr. Seuss (film) • Lots of props and signs, and a beast or two, too  
 
  Disneyland • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ride frieze, 6’ by 10’  
 
  MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas • Interior statuary and props, including Betty Boop, lions and life-scale scenes of motion picture filming  
 
  Disneyland • Toontown props and statuary for, including: Benny the Cab, various Toon cars, lampposts, mailboxes, birdhouses, and fantastical machines and gadgets  
 
  EuroDisney • Giant squid for animatronic Nautilus ride, 10’ body and 15’ tentacles  
 
  Freaked (film) • Giant mechanized portrait of villain’s head, 12’ high  
 
  Los Angeles Public Library • Large, playful, imaginative chandeliers for artist Therman Statom  
 
  Passed Away (film) • Baroque equestrian monument of the Archangel Gabriel with cherubs, 8’ high  
 
 
My sincere thanks to master sculptor Leo Rijn for teaching me proper technique, and to film director Catherine Hardwicke for my first sculpture commission.