Luis Morris ROI

Luis Morris has Society Membership of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.

Biographical details:

  • 1963 Born 24th October in Wrexham
  • 1980 Gained an A level in art at Testbourne Secondary School, Whitchurch, Hampshire.
  • 1984 Left an Architecture degree course at Nottingham University to join De La Rue as an apprentice banknote designer.
  • Over the next 13 years designed currencies for several countries around the world.
  • Jan 1998 Left De La Rue to become a freelance artist/ Illustrator. Specialised in the portrayal of tennis players. Gained commissions from the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Club, Wimbledon.
  • Oct 2000- July 2002 Studied for the Diploma in Portraiture at Heatherleys School of Art.

Artist’s statement

Painting offers me the chance to celebrate light and the sensual joy derived from ‘seeing’.

Good paintings are like diary pages. They are free from the self-editing that goes on when the painter worries what others may think.

I like paintings that straddle the boundary between Abstract and Representational.

Exhibitions

  • 2007/8 Pastel Society, Mall Galleries
  • 2007 BP Award, National Portrait Gallery
  • 2005-8 Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
  • 2001-7 Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries

Method of working

I usually work in oil on shop bought canvas or MDF, sealed and primed with Gesso. My average canvas size is relatively small – 16 x 12 inches.

My approach to a new piece of work is to do preparatory tonal sketches in charcoal. These help me to work out composition and decide what canvas size to use.

I use flat, acrylic brushes because of the range of marks I can make with them. These can be flat patches of colour or sharp lines and dots. As brushes age, the brush stroke becomes less crisp, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If I could, I would always work from life. I do work from photos I have taken, trying to remember what it was like when I was there. Inevitably there will be comparison with this other 2 – dimensional image, which can be frustrating.

Scholarships, Awards, Prizes

  • 
2008 Purely Personal Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters
  • 2006 Windsor & Newton Non-Members Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters