Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Paintings by Carol Morrison
Short Biography. Carol M. Morrison
Born in Leeds, England, I was always interested in living things. As a child, living in the village of Cranfield then on the outskirts of Bedford, I filled notebooks with drawings of horses and mythical beasts, collected newts that she kept in an aquarium made from an old glass battery, and grew vegetables and flowers in the garden. I was horse-crazy and sketched and rode horses whenever possible. When going for orthodontic appointments in London, she always went to an art gallery, usually her favourite, the Tate Gallery.
I took art classes at school, where most training was in water-colour. As a teenager, I had to make a difficult choice between science and art. I was excited by the idea of scientific research, and decided to train as a scientist. After graduating, I immigrated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to work as a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I took workshops with the plein-air artist John Cook, as well as other local artists. I obtained her MSc while working, then had to leave to do her PhD and BEd. After graduating, I became a research assistant then assistant professor in the anatomy department of the medical school at Dalhousie University, before returning to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. During this time, when I also married and had three children, I always continued to paint, taking workshops when possible.
In 1997 my laboratory in Halifax closed, and my position was moved to New Brunswick. I could not follow my job because of her family commitments, but obtained a retraining grant that enabled me to start taking art classes at NSCAD University, where I recently completed her BFA degree. I also continued my fulfilling career in the sciences on a consultant basis, presently with a transplant unit at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
My interest in investigating the natural world around me, which led me to a career as a biologist, has also led to paintings of landscape, still life and portraits. I am happiest when painting out-of-doors, surrounded by nature. I am most influenced by the vibrant colors and expressive yet delicate brushwork of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, and use similar techniques to express my interaction with nature.
Apart from solo exhibitions at the Anna Leonowens, Lunenburg, Craig and VANS Corridor Galleries, I have taken part in several group exhibitions. The NS Art Bank bought a portrait of a fellow researcher in 2005, and “The Magical Gas Station” in 2006. My work is in numerous private collections. A painting of the technologists I came to know is installed at the IWK hospital, and portraits by me are installed at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Centre and in the auditorium of the Halifax office of the Canadian Institute for the Blind. My work can be seen at the Sales and Rental Gallery of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, in galleries across Nova Scotia and at http://vans.ednet.ns.ca/artist_pages/cmorrison.html.
I received the Elizabeth Greenshields award for an emerging artist in 2005.
Born in Leeds, England, I was always interested in living things. As a child, living in the village of Cranfield then on the outskirts of Bedford, I filled notebooks with drawings of horses and mythical beasts, collected newts that she kept in an aquarium made from an old glass battery, and grew vegetables and flowers in the garden. I was horse-crazy and sketched and rode horses whenever possible. When going for orthodontic appointments in London, she always went to an art gallery, usually her favourite, the Tate Gallery.
I took art classes at school, where most training was in water-colour. As a teenager, I had to make a difficult choice between science and art. I was excited by the idea of scientific research, and decided to train as a scientist. After graduating, I immigrated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to work as a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I took workshops with the plein-air artist John Cook, as well as other local artists. I obtained her MSc while working, then had to leave to do her PhD and BEd. After graduating, I became a research assistant then assistant professor in the anatomy department of the medical school at Dalhousie University, before returning to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. During this time, when I also married and had three children, I always continued to paint, taking workshops when possible.
In 1997 my laboratory in Halifax closed, and my position was moved to New Brunswick. I could not follow my job because of her family commitments, but obtained a retraining grant that enabled me to start taking art classes at NSCAD University, where I recently completed her BFA degree. I also continued my fulfilling career in the sciences on a consultant basis, presently with a transplant unit at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
My interest in investigating the natural world around me, which led me to a career as a biologist, has also led to paintings of landscape, still life and portraits. I am happiest when painting out-of-doors, surrounded by nature. I am most influenced by the vibrant colors and expressive yet delicate brushwork of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, and use similar techniques to express my interaction with nature.
Apart from solo exhibitions at the Anna Leonowens, Lunenburg, Craig and VANS Corridor Galleries, I have taken part in several group exhibitions. The NS Art Bank bought a portrait of a fellow researcher in 2005, and “The Magical Gas Station” in 2006. My work is in numerous private collections. A painting of the technologists I came to know is installed at the IWK hospital, and portraits by me are installed at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Centre and in the auditorium of the Halifax office of the Canadian Institute for the Blind. My work can be seen at the Sales and Rental Gallery of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, in galleries across Nova Scotia and at http://vans.ednet.ns.ca/artist_pages/cmorrison.html.
I received the Elizabeth Greenshields award for an emerging artist in 2005.
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