In his early 20s John moved to Barcelona where he earned a living painting watercolors on the street.  It was around this time he began creating collage portraits and landscapes from found papers, usually litter.  While in Barcelona he became art director at Diagonal, a leading art and culture magazine of Spain stylized in the fashion of Andy Warhol’s Interview.

After Spain, Morse returned to America, arriving for the first time in New York City.  The city became his new home and he immediately immersed himself in the thriving downtown art scene.