James Morrison was an acclaimed Scottish artist who is credited with helping to reinvigorate landscape painting in Britain.

Having studied at his native Glasgow School of Art Morrison took the opportunity to travel to Paris where he saw firsthand the works of the Barbizon school and the the landscapes they produced. These works had a great influence on him and for the rest of his life he would paint landscape en plein air and  he remained committed to the principle that an artist should paint in situ so as to experience the landscape in its truest form.

Having moved with his family to Montrose and having taken  up a teaching position at the College of Art and design in Dundee it was in the 1970s that he began to find his own particular style. Choosing to paint the Scottish landscape with its large skies and turbulent weather Morrison’s  unusual technique of laying thin washes of paint on large jesso boards helped him capture the ever shifting light and dramatic changes that are so typical of Scotland. Whilst appearing highly detailed Morrison actually painted in a quick and vigourous manner trying to capture fleeting effects before they disappeared. 

Whilst he is best known for his Scottish paintings Morrison did travel widely on including trips  to the Arctic in the 90s where he produced some extraordinary paintings, a film of his time in the Arctic was produced by the BBC titled “Eye of the Storm” which details his attempts to paint in this extraordinary enviroment. 

Whilst he was very much a native of Scotland Morrison’s paintings can be found in public and private collections around the world.