Bill Morton

The work of Bill Morton does not fall within the contemporary parameters of western art. The two main reasons for this are the historical considerations excluding textiles from the "art" category and because Morton has worked entirely within an Oriental context that is completely distinct from western art practices; distinct in training, in attitude to training and in aesthetics. Born in 1940, in Didsbury, Alberta, Morton received an honors diploma from The Alberta College of Art in 1968, after four years of study. In 1969 he went to Japan, studied and learned the language, and from 1972 to 1983 worked in the Kunio Isa Textile Studio in Kyoto, Japan. Mr. Isa, trained as a designer, came from a whole family of kimono dyers. There are thus hundreds of years if tradition as well as a certain attitude to account for. Bill speaks of his extraordinary apprenticeship. "What I liked about Japan was that you learned to one thing at a time and you learned to do it competently. The Japenese say that you have to learn it through the body. Your body has to do it automatically without thinking. An artist in the Orient becomes a master of humility from the very start. Mastery over something produces a quiet satisfaction - an inner satisfaction and confidence. These are the qualities necessary for learning and working. That's what creativity is about really. When things work well they have universal quality. Nothing is new. Things are realized again and transformed continually."

Light Breeze
hand dyed silk, 84 in x 48 in