Name: Tim Morrisson
Position: Charge Painter, Hawkeye Design Studios
Years: Two
As the painter in charge for Hawkeye Design Studios, Tim Morrison is responsible for painting scenery and theatrical backdrops ranging from the sky chart and Italian countryside seen in the Goodman Theatre’s “Galileo, Galilei,” to the rustic setting of Drury Lane Theatre’s upcoming production of “On Golden Pond.” Behind the Scenes talked with Morrison about his craft during a visit to the northwest side studio, and managed not to get any paint on his clothes.
Q. How did you get into this field?
A. I started doing theater of some sort in junior high. I did it in college. After college, I spent four years working as a carpenter for regional theaters around the country. I went back to graduate school and got an MFA from Northwestern in design. I got my union card, and I do design on the side and paint to pay the bills. I’ve been the charge painter here for two years. Previously for 10 years I was freelance.
Q. I see you’ve got a rendering of the setting for “On Golden Pond.” How do you work from it?
A. It’s called a painter’s elevation. It’s the artwork that the designer supplies that we paint from. For every piece of scenery that we paint, there should be an elevation, so that we’re not making it up. For this drop, you see there’s a grid here, a half-inch on the page equals a foot on the grid. So I drew a grid on the drop, then I draw everything out in charcoal. The charcoal allows you to make changes as you need it. Once the drawing is done and accurate and you’re satisfied with it, you redraw over the charcoal in magic marker. Then I paint over it.
Q. How long does it take to paint a typical backdrop?
A. There is no typical drop. Six days is what I have available for this [“On Golden Pond”]. The Goodman drops took much longer. We had four painters on that at various points, and they were on the floor for two weeks. I think the biggest was 62 [feet] wide by 38 tall. That’s on the larger side for backdrops. I’ve actually worked one that was 50 wide by 30 tall.
Q. What do you like about your job?
A. I get a real satisfaction out of looking at something when it’s done and knowing I painted it. To be sitting in the audience during a show and thinking, that’s really pretty, and I painted that, that’s exciting. There’s a bit of a challenge to it, can I make it look as good as the elevation.