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Morris Graves Biography

Morris Graves (August 28, 1910 – May 5, 2001) was an American painter. He was one of the earliest Modern artists from the Pacific Northwest to achieve national and international acclaim. His style, referred to by some reviewers as Mysticism, used the muted tones of the Northwest environment, Asian aesthetics and philosophy, and a personal iconography of birds, flowers, chalices, and other images to explore the nature of consciousness.

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Morris Graves Quotes

It is to aid in making the arts operative rather than only positively or negatively pleasurable. . . it is to paint a record, in so far as I am increasingly capable, of man's deepst capacities. . . I seek to paint of how form manifests its subtlest quality named 'idea.

Art, Deepst, Ideas, Men, Seek, Subtlest

You must first realize the thing completely in your mind. Then grasp the brush, fix your attention so that you see clearly what you wish to paint; start quickly, move the brush, follow straight what you see before you, as the buzzard swoops down when the hare jumps out. If you hesitate one moment, it is gone.

Fix, Jumps, Mind, Moving, Wish

The artists of Asia have spiritually realized form, rather than aesthetically invented or imitated form, and from them I have learned that art and nature are mind's Environment within which we can detect the essence of man's Being and Purpose, and from which we can draw clues to guide our journey from partial consciousness to full consciousness.

Art, Artists, Detect, Journey, Men, Realized

I paint to rest from the phenomena of the external world - to pronounce it -- and to make notations of its essences with which to verify the inner eye.

Essence, Essences, Eye, Notations, Pronounce, World

I paint to evoke a changing language of symbols, a language with which to remark upon the qualities of our mysterious capacities which direct us towards the ultimate reality.

Evoke, Mysterious, Paint, Quality, Reality, Ultimate

Such compositions, line and color ideas, such wonders come into my mind and have stuck! - They will this time be dismissed only by being painted out.

Color, Ideas, Mind, Painted, Time

The painting cannot be laid aside even for a day; for it takes constant work to keep 'flowing,' but above that it takes concentration, which in our language is consecration.

Concentration, Flow, Keep, Laid, Language, Painting

It takes waking prayer and working prayer and going to bed in prayer each day with increasing dedication. I must be the best person that I am able to be when I am painting. Tonight the wind is howling and the barrels are full of sky water.

Bed, Dedication, Howling, Prayer, Wind

I love and in a way need, a private secret place. It's a kind of deep obsession, but I also love to need and be with friends and the two things often need to be together. . . it's a painful conflict that will never be smoothly resolved.

Kind, Obsession, Secret Places, Solitude, Things, Two

I am able to make a contribution. . . Let me repeat my convictions, I can make a contribution to American painting.

Able, Conviction, Let, Make, Painting

It may not always be obvious at first, but I think that everyone can make a valuable contribution if only they put their minds to it.

May, Mind, Minds, Obvious, Think, Thinking

An artist is a prophet and seer, not a paint craftsman or design maker, or reporter or entertainer. . . the artist has the superiorly searching perception with which that world outside of man's contamination can be penetrated and the truth drawn out from it.

Artist, Design, Men, Reporter, Superiorly, Truth