EYE OF THE STORM
2021 | Dir Anthony Baxter | 78mins | 
GB
James Morrison is widely recognised as one of Britain’s finest landscape artists. His work hangs in the homes of JK Rowling and the Royal Family, as well as in museums, and private collections around the world. As the documentary opens, Morrison faces his greatest challenge: his eyesight is fading fast, and he has one more major painting to complete. From his studio just outside Montrose, Morrison can hear the crashing North Sea. On the wall is a drawing of Mickey Mouse he completed when he was 8 years old, at the outset of World War II.
“My sight has quite badly deteriorated,” Morrison admits. “And the very thought of coming in here and not being able to pick up a brush and do something with it really terrifies me. It really appalls me.” Nevertheless he has agreed to let filmmaker Anthony Baxter follow him as he picks up the brushes again at the age of 85 after being sidelined by a series of operations. And while doing so he reflects on an extraordinary artistic life.
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Available to watch for 48 hours after purchase.
Distributor: Cosmic Cat Films – no account required.
James Morrison’s work was full of awe for the natural world, and this documentary does his landscape painting full justice – Andrew Pulver in The Guardian.