Idaho-Mountains

Mist ascending from the Hebrides Mountains and querulous red highland cows echo into the wind to the moor that I am Clan Morrison. Multiple pigments and charcoals that make inks and queries of graphite echo that I am an artist. Artists have had a unique connection to the Great Divide, and two states use it as their border Montana and Idaho. The name “Idaho” is from an Apache name that had nothing to do with the state. I learned the capital of the state because boys eat there. The National Geographic book mentioned Idaho’s “kissing frog.” The one of NAACP’s Idaho directors was white and that states is known for racism. That makes one ask if in that state has white people fighting about how great they are. It might have oil or natural gas. Scarlet O’Hara died in Idaho. Other then such, Idaho is just another cowboy state with beef being big like Texas or Montana which artists love as it is big and open. In a resent Friends of Israel conference one of the conference people said that Morrison might be Jewish perhaps explaining the red cows.

Idaho has a very unique and interesting mythology. Everything is one a Shoshone blanket. The most famous person of that nation was Sacagawea who lead Lewis and Clark to the head water of the Missouri River and to the West Coast (Her nation rests on the continental divide) and was honored with coin in 2001. (No one knows what she looked like.) They were forced on to a reservation in 1863 after 450 men, women and children were murdered by Californians in the Bear River Massacre. Mount MacCawen of the Sawtooth Mountains is in the far background. According to the Native American mythology, the Creator had to flood the world to destroy the evil spirits who were hiding in caves and the Sawtooth Mountains were the only caves left after the deluge. In front of everything is a potato. This is what makes Idaho unique. The tuber first came in 1847 with pioneers who thought they were in Utah and when the first agriculture records where made Idaho made a quarter million dollar on the crop. The cone is from the state tree Western White Pine. I drew this picture about a year-and-half ago with pencil and white charcoal and is 9” x12.”

The name of this picture is Buttercup and was ink drawn over a year ago and is 9” x 12.” Most of my art was drawn from life or picture with the exception that I have never been in Japan which I would love to visit. I would say that standing in a foot of snow is not usually part of art, but it helps finding a great composition. Spring before last, the buttercups came up and all I needed was a lawn chair. If you are interested in buying this or any other of my art email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com.

Washington -Wet

A thousand mystical Islands and hundreds of lochs and mountains haunted by battle between Highland Clans whispers in the wind that I am the Islander Clan Morrison. The mystical natures of graphite and ink and the easel and paper haunted by the nature which made them great trees echo that I am an artist. Nature is what makes artist and art lovers. Rainforests are the ideal. The only rainforest in the Continental United States are in Washington State. I ask my father what to put down for Washington State and he said “apple.” My other uncle lives in Washington’s apple country. But, I think everybody who eats apples from grocery stores in the US has had an apple from that state. (Washington people are apparently not in to grocery stores.)  Someone else to that question said rain with that in Seattle the bet on the rain every hour. It is both rain and apple. Ironically, Washington State is one of the only states to have a Highland & Island tartan.

Washington has a very unique mythos. Everything is on the French Bakery sign showing West Coast cruise. In front of everything is the state flower the coast rhododendron. The branch in the front is for the state tree Western Hemlock. The story goes that Washington had no state tree but an Oregon newsman making fun of them suggest what now the state tree is. Ironically, it was supported by the state senate because of the state’s wood industry. On the right side behind everything is Mount Rainier or Tacoma as the native people call it. According to Native American legends, Tacoma (meaning “mother of the waters”) fought with her “sister wife” over their husband, but she fled with her son to the valley which was so plentiful they got fat and became mountains. Between branch and the mountain is the Space Needle. It was built for the 1964 Seattle Words Fair and the decision on its height was built on a helicopter ride. The butte in the distant left behind all but Mount Reiner is for Olympic National Park which is one of the oldest national parks in America (and World Heritage site) and is associated with the Hoh, Jamestown S'Klallam, Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble, S'Klallam, Quileute, Quinault, and Skokomish Nations. I drew this picture over a year ago with pencil and white charcoal and is 9” x 12.”

 The name of this piece is “Loch 39” and was drawn last November (It snowed two days later.) with pen and is 8” x 10.” It was drawn in Independence, Ohio on the old Erie Canal at former Loch 39 which is near modern Cleveland and is currently part of a National Forrest. That is a sad element of Cleveland but good. Cleveland was once a great industrialized, manufacturing giant but now is “Tree Town.” If you are interested in buying this or any other of my art pieces email me at MatthewMorrison@yahoo.com. 

Oregon-natural

Beautiful white sand beaches defended by North frost and enchanted chessmen who will never play again recognize me as Clan Morrison. Beautiful drawings and enchanted carvings in maple and oak recognize me as an artist. As an artist, one is always looking for ancient forest and Oregon is the best example of that idea of forest. The state was original owned by Russia, US and England. The name is from the French word for hurricane because it rain all the time there. I know a youth pastor from Oregon. He called it the left coast. Worked his way through College at a lumber yard and could not define a two by four. Ironically, his wife drove out a “hanky” place in Oregon before they got married. When he moved to Indiana, he asked if it ever stopped snowing. My uncle also lives there and looks into Northern California from his house. I used to live near the white sands of Galveston in Texas.

Oregon has a very unique mythos even without Bigfoot. Everything is on a plank with a salmon on it. This stands for the Confederate Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon which throw the fish bone into the sea who believed that the salmon are an immortal people who live under the sea. (Salmon is not their real bodies) According to their legend, the tribe asks the Salmon people to come up their rivers. The state is still renowned for salmon. Behind everything is Mount Hood (Wyeast) which is the tallest peak in Oregon. According to the Native Americans, it was from a fight between Wyeast and another brave fighting for the affection of the woman who was magically turned beautiful and became Mount St. Helen. The woven tea pot is to represent the native peoples of Oregon. The pot would not be used for tea but would be used to remove tomanowas which the Native peoples believed caused illness and bad luck. The flowers in the pot are the state flower Oregon grape. It is a traditional medicine but is not a grape but a berry. In front of everything is Japanese maple. This is for the large Japanese population. I drew this picture last March with Pencil and white charcoal and is 8” x 10.”

The name of this piece is “Royal Deer Blessing” and is Sumi-e on 12” x 18” Rice paper. I used color to give life to the deer. It is painted on rice paper; ink spilled on the corner leaf on the flower came out that way. The flower is the imperial seal of Japan. Chrysanthemums are also symbolic of autumn in the four noble gentlemen. The Crane is symbolic of the good luck or blessing. There is a mountain in the far left corner. If you are interested in buying this or any other of my pieces, email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com. 

Montana-New Texas

Cold, mystical West Wind and enchanted water horses from the depths breathe their course that declares me Clan Morrison of the Hebrides. The mystical natures of ink and pencil and the enchantment of canvas echo that I am an artist. As being a Texan, I seek other Texas like states. Montana seems to be that. It is big, open and a border state. (I hear the people on the other side of that border speak English, but a “BEEN” is a lagoon in the US.) (Also, there are several Large Native American Reservations in Montana and no large reservations in Texas which is known for two micro- reservations.) I had a friend from Montana who was a rancher but ended up in Chicago. He once commentated how he was from the frozen Texas. But, He did comment how he left his cows out in the blizzard.  Somehow he never got “yankee-ized.”  The state is known for rodeos also. They are on the reservations. This made the drawing difficult because I did not want to just re-draw “Texas.” I will have to admit I am not looking forward to draw in the snow this winter.

Montana issues a complete and unique mythos and does not contain some blond. Everything is on nothing because the state is known as the big sky country with the dessert being called the “big Empty.”  The flower is the state flower. The branch most things are on is the state tree the Mountain Hemlock. The Black Hills make up the western third of the state making the Great Divide the state’s western boundary. The mountains also give a refuge to the large wildlife during the harsh winters. The butterfly is the state insect Harbinger of Spring or Mourning cloak which is very resilient during the winter. It is symbolic of the vernal renaissance of Montana. The ax is university of Montana’s icon. The Teepee is fior the great Northern Plains Native Americans with the three largest nations in the state are the Crow in the southern and central part of the Flat-head Confederacy in the Rocky Mountain continental divide and the Blackfoot which are on the Canadian border. The Plains Indians Museum is on the Black-Foot reservation. The flat head Reservation is the fourth largest in the country. There is also a bear claw as for the native bears. I drew this picture about a year ago with pencil and white charcoal.

  The name of this picture is “Nobility in Red” and is made recently with Sumi-e and Chinese water colors. It has the four Noble gentlemen of Japanese Sumi-e which are wild orchid, chrysanthemum, (the imperial crest which make Japanese coin artworks) plum blossom and bamboo. In Japanese, something that is “in red” is absolute and complete. But also when an artist “signs” a piece, one does it with red. While Sumi-e traditionally in a grey scale for there is “a thousand colors in grey,” but flowers are the signatures of plants. (I have never seen a bamboo flower.) I did this piece on card stock so I’ll sell it for $25 +shipping. If you are interested in buying this or any other of my pieces, email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com.