JAMIE MORRIS

By Jennifer MacLeod and Shannon Heth

Gainsborough Galleries doesn't often take on new artists, says manager Robert Wood. "But when Jamie Morris brought his work in, I said "yes" immediately." At 29, Morris is the youngest artist exhibiting at the gallery. Morris graduated from the Alberta College of Art & Design and attended the Illustration Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. Back to Calgary in 1997, Morris enjoyed several high-profile commissions including program covers for the Calgary Stampeders; portraits of famous Canadians for Parks Canada; a poster illustration for Canadian Pacific and, in 2001, a mural for the Jasper, Alberta, railway station. Morris paints diverse subjects, usually involving landscapes. "I want to paint the illusion of detail," says Morris. "Let the viewer's eye add up all of the texture that comes from the brush strokes, and the spaces in between them, to complete the picture." Gainsborough Galleries has two Calgary locations: 441 - 5 Avenue SW  and the Plus 15 level, Hyatt Regency.