Alan Morrison
Alan Morrison was born in Stranraer at the most Southern West tip of Scotland. He has worked in many different fields in his career including; Illustration, Fine Art, Mural and Scenic Art, Specialist Decoration and of course Teaching.
The son of a farmer he grew up surrounded by nature and wildlife but at the time couldn’t wait to leave for the urban life of Glasgow and its more hectic lifestyle. This was to change later in life when rural images became more of an inspiration.
He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1976-1981 immersing himself in all things new from the various subcultures such as music ; especially the punk bands and fashion to the raw art being produced at the time by the likes of Jamie Reid, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Maclaren. These proved to be a huge influence on his work. This mixed with old traditional methods of Drawing and Painting by The Glasgow Boys culminated in a Degree with Honours in Fine Art and Illustration and winning the coveted Newbury Medal.
In 1985 he moved to London and joined an Illustration Agency ; Ian Fleming Associates gaining numerous commissions from companies such as The Royal Shakespeare Company, Hawker Siddeley, British Telecom and 20th Century Fox.
In 1986 his portrait of Andrew A.Celli was selected for the John Player Portrait Award in the National Portrait Gallery, London. It won praise from respected art critic Brian Sewell who described it as “animal intense, portrayed in a way no photographer could match”.
At the time he was also producing his own One man Shows in London based on Titled shows such as “Shakespeare” to new works usually based on experimentation.
He has taught on a part time basis for 19 years mostly teaching in the Foundation Departments of various Colleges. This involved one on one tutoring on projects and large Life Drawing groups of about 30 students. These Drawing groups entailed all aspects of Life drawing including Tonal, Linear, Motion, Light, Shadow, Technique and Medium. The most important aspect being Exploration and Experimentation.
Since 1992 Alan has worked in Scenic and Mural art working on diverse projects such as Michael Jacksons “Dangerous” Tour Launch Party in Munich to painting Ceiling Murals in Prince Zabeels palace in Dubai. Last year he finished a large 13 piece mural for a private client in Kuwait. Most of this work was to a brief and included Trompe l’oeuil and Specialist Decoration.
After a visit to Australia in 2006 taking in most of the country for Sketchbook and Painting work he was so impressed with the beauty of the country he decided to relocate to Brisbane. He is currently working on new work for gallery showing and continuing to work on various projects.
Statement:
My work originally came from a fascination with people watching. The human psyche and physique. Studying people on my travels, making sketchbooks wherever I went filling them with studies at work, on trains, cafes etc. I became intrigued by emotions, manners and characteristics.
My drawing capabilities became stronger , the force of the crayon on works on paper more analytical and interpreting my thoughts, almost predicting scenarios in my mind.
Training at Glasgow School of Art was intense, life drawing classes were compulsive and adhered to on a strict basis. Drawing was imperative to the course on Foundation and laid the path for whichever subject the student chose to undertake. I found it extremely healthy, the actual work ethic involved helping to find a solution in my later years to whatever project I was working on. You can have the greatest idea but without the work beforehand building to the final piece I find it rarely works which is why I find sketchbook work far more stimulating.
I chose Graphics but quickly found it limited and decided to concentrate on Illustration and Fine Art where I had a much freer sense of experimentation and exploring new methods of interpretation. I found the tutors and fellow students to be inspiring and encouraging me to try alternative ways of thinking and working. I can honestly say my college years really were the best times for awakening my inner self and realising my potential.
My painting and illustration work have always been in a fairly realistic figurative manner, minutely painted but with a looser edge to it . I’ve always found if it looks too much like a photograph then it ceases to have a point. This doesn’t mean I don’t admire the fact that work like this takes a great deal of patience and technique but you have to inject some kind of feeling of your own to the piece, putting your own stamp or mark on it. By studying the old masters I was trying to evolve their technique with a more contemporary feel to it.
As I’ve matured the style has evolved away from figurative work to more landscape/ nature based themes experimenting with mixed media and mark making. There is a much rawer feel to it. Immersed in light, playing with colour and shade I am still drawing from old traditions but hopefully my style and technique belong in the present. The richness and rawness of the outside elements are a source of inspiration. I try to represent these elements in my work through the variations of the weather, the cloud formations and light transforming images . This can be achieved by the exploration of paint, washes, glazes and building with layers of colour to underpainting block colour, dribbled paint, hues and rough mark making to represent energy.
The transformation of quickness of touch , spontaneity of brushmarks result in representation of an event, a moment in time just passed, a response. Threatening, wild, emerging response, collisions, energy, abstractions, horizons, evoking returning to wilderness. A painting derived from old styles but set in the present, very raw world.
website: www.alanmorrison.com.au
