Anthony Morrison’s mesmerizing paintings demonstrate the energy, joy, colour, light and possibilities of the natural world while alluding to something far more metaphysical and spiritual. There is an essence of mysticism in all his works which resonates with the artist’s desire to calm, soothe and instil a reflective response.
“We live in a modern world where the separation between the physical and the spiritual realms is decreasing every day. My works set out to reflect the inherent beauty and harmony that exists all around us by linking the spiritual - which is formless and fluid - with the perceived physical - which is often identifiable and structured – through colour, composition and form,” he says.
Anthony holds a B.A in Visual Communications from the Sydney College of the Arts (1986). He initially began painting in his student years in a realist style, using oils, yet felt he was neither fulfilled nor creating the emotive style of art he desired. So he stopped painting for many years, working instead in various creative fields, including graphic and architectural design.
Then, five years ago, he felt compelled to paint again and immediately began experimenting: exploring and pushing the boundaries of acrylic and mixed media to arrive at the textural, layered abstract style espoused in his current works.
Using his knowledge of classical principles and colour theory, Anthony works in acrylics, oils, lacquers, translucent glazes, colour varnishes and sprays. Influenced by both classical/romantic and modern abstract styles, he continues to develop his own unique vision and technique of layering and distressing the paint, often with scraping, scumbling and staining, which results in the “aged”-yet-modern appearance of his works.
Many of Anthony’s paintings take several weeks to complete as he builds up to 60 layers of varying, suspended colours and tinted glazes to bring depth, richness and perspective to each - allowing this myriad of subtle hues and translucencies to enhance underlying textures and “speak” of unseen worlds and dimensions.
“My paintings are about capturing the lustrous, emotional depth of life through mood, inspiration, luminosity and energy flows and so I want those who see my paintings to be able to look deeper with each viewing and interpret each painting in a multifaceted way. I also hope they will continue to see things they weren’t expecting, or didn’t see on first look.”
