Thank you for visiting the Apple Cheeks website.

My name is Judy Morgan and my business is located in Escondido, CA about 40 miles north of America’s Finest City, San Diego. I am one of those rarities in California; an actual, “born and raised Native Californian”.

Apple Cheeks was originally a giftware business started in the early ‘80’s with a friend of mine. The name Apple Cheeks came from the apple dolls we were making and selling all over the United States. After about 2 years my friend needed to leave AC and help in her husbands’ business. I ‘jobbed’ out what I could, but most of the work and the bookkeeping was now my total responsibility. At one time I had the dolls in the Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago Giftware Marts. And the ‘star’ account was the gift store in Historic Williamsburg VA.

In 1985 I decided I had had enough of apple dolls, the UPS man and Christmas in July. I had noticed decorative painting at the Gift shows, it was simple stuff, but very intriguing to me.

There was a local Tole shop in town called Calico Station, I signed up for a class and the rest is history. I did have a slight edge on the beginner painter; it wasn’t the first time I had held a brush since I had been a fine arts major in college and had taken landscape classes from a wonderful teacher here in town. But at that point in my life Decorative Painting looked like great fun.

I joined the local chapter Palomar Heritage Painters in 1986 and even served as Chapter President in 1992 and 1993 and received my CDA in 1990.

In 1994 I began designing and publishing my own packets and self-published my first book in 1995. Publishing my own book was a big undertaking but also a useful learning experience.

You may have seen my work in The Decorative Painter, The Decorative Artist Workbook, Painting Magazine, Paint Works, Tole World, Leisure Arts and North Light Books.

Last year we, decided to do a little remodeling, LOL. Wallpaper was out and plaster was in…we tore out 1740 square feet of flooring and redid the kitchen. I signed up for a 5 day professional Italian Plaster class at the TexSton headquarters in Los Angeles, thinking I could do the dining room and kitchen myself. Yeah, right…I did have to hire help. The plaster class segued to a class in Seattle with muralist Jennifer Carrassco. Awesome!

My point here is that you don’t have to restrict your decorative painting to just wood and tin!