Excerpt:
Raymond Morris, poet and artist, has always found his
art can both heal and threaten. At times he is able
to cleanse himself of the spirits that can haunt him,
at others he withdraws completely from expression because
the very act of opening himself up to his innermost
thoughts and emotions leaves him vulnerable to forces
that can injure him. Believing that art killed Van Gogh,
Morris flies in defiance of the accepted maxim that
art can always heal. When he is able to create his paintings
and drawings, they reflect the spiritual presence that
is never far from his personality.
Poetry holds an important role for him. He expresses
himself with sound, making his own improvised poetic
recordings, as well as incorporating poetry in his visual
work. One work comprises of scores of small poems constructed
on sticks alongside toy animals which are set along
the top edge of his painting. At other times the words
completely dominate and take over the picture. Raymond
Morris remains on the edge, out of the limelight, one
of London’s unique Outsiders.
The article as it appears in Raw
Vision magazine.
You may click on the first two pages for a larger image.
To read the rest of this article, buy
Raw Vision #54.