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- From Dental Tech to Mutant Maker, Meet Morgan Loebel
- Loebel’s Relationship With Stan Winston School
- Finding a New Calling
- Materials Used to Create His Art
From Dental Tech to Mutant Maker, Meet Morgan Loebel
By Morgan Loebel
My name is Morgan Loebel (aka, Morgans Mutations), and I make creatures, monsters, and mutated things out of polymer clay. I love creating beings with realistic features arranged in surprising ways: from unexpected eyes on an iPhone, to teeth in a toilet, and I take delight in mimicking the wrinkles and folds of human flesh. I have been producing unusual art for as long as I can remember, but I only began working with polymer clay in 2012.
(“Necronomicon Storage Book,” inspired by the Evil Dead movie series. The flesh, eyes, and teeth are all shaped from polymer clay, then bound in leather.)
(Brilliantly creepy details of the “Necronomicon Storage Book.”)
Loebel’s Relationship With Stan Winston School
Not long after leaving my dental career in 2010, I began pursuing graphic design freelance work. Through Facebook, I was able to network with the administrators of the Stan Winston School--first posting frequently as a guest on their page, and ultimately developing multiple graphic designs for the school and its Website. For an ex-dental tech from Lawrence, Kansas, it was a pretty surreal experience to have that opportunity, especially as I have long admired the works of the late Stan Winston.
Finding a New Calling
In late 2012, I was diagnosed with cancer. The effects of chemotherapy made it unbearable to create or design anything while staring into my computer monitor. Though I was sick, I was still driven to stay creative. It was during my treatment and recovery, when the screen requirements of graphic design became impossible to pursue, that I received my initial hands-on experience with polymer clay.
(“Bathroom Break.” Inspired by the lipstick-faced demon from Insidious and made primarily from polymer clay.)
The lessons available through the Stan Winston School were instrumental in helping me realize the potential of polymer clay. In the beginning, I worked with the clay primarily as a therapy tool to get through my illness, but as I learned to work with the material, I found a new calling--a life-altering path.
(“Pencil Puker.” Polymer clay pencil holder by Morgan Loebel.)
(“Stay in the Dark.” Custom lightswitch cover, made of polymer clay by Morgan Loebel.)
Materials Used to Create His Art
In my work, I try to replicate the same realistic dental details I was able to achieve at the lab, without using the dental acrylics or powder porcelains that require special tools and baking in high-temperature ovens.
(“Demon Mirror,” a piece made for the Cold Blooded contest on DeviantArt.)
My list of materials is always changing, and, of course, the magic is in not only the materials used but also the application of technique and the artist's vision. The materials I keep returning to include polymer clay, resin, armature wire, aluminum foil, epoxy putty, acrylic inks, stains, and protective varnishes.
(“Bad Seed,” created from polymer clay by Morgan Loebel for the Transformation Challenge on DeviantArt.)
(The details show the "second stage" of transformation for "Bad Seed" by Morgal Loebel.)
I would describe my art pieces as beautifully macabre. Every now and again, I receive negative reactions to the work I produce. Some people think the stuff I make is creepy, gross, and morbid. But those responses don't bother me—at least people are having some sort of reaction to my work! I would take “creepy” over “boring” any day.
(One of Morgan Loebel's custom cases for iPhone 6 and its creepy, gore-geous details.)
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