Morrison attempted a variety of painting techniques, including abstraction, before settling on what would become his personal style which he is known for: painting realistic landscapes en plein air with thin washes of oil paint on a white gesso ground - a technique so light that it is sometimes mistaken for watercolour.

James Morrison RSA RSW, 1932-2020

Born in Glasgow, Morrison studied at Glasgow School of Art under David Donaldson from 1950 to 1954. He taught part-time there until 1958, when he moved to Catterline, near Stonehaven, Kincardineshire. He was visiting artist at Hospitalfield in Arbroath, Angus, in 1962-63. In 1965 he became a teacher at Duncan Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. He visited Greece on an Arts Council travelling scholarship in 1968 and has travelled widely in France. In 1987 he resigned as Head of Department to concentrate on his painting. 

Morrison is best known for his panoramic landscapes, particularly of Angus and Canada, many spectacular cloud formations. He is also noted for his paintings of Glasgow's Victorian tenements and terraces, which he started as a student and continued until about 1980.