Nets by James Morrison (1932-2020) loosely captures nets strung up on poles in a field, near a coastline with light blue on the horizon line. Morrison's characteristic wide sweeps of applying pigment are present here in this pastel work, with his gestures visible in the sky and along the green, white, and blue colour at the bottom of the nets. This work uses a slightly brighter colour palette, with pink and red lines in the landscape, as well as white highlights over the black lines of flowers and the netting. The subject is captured with soft lines, yet the vibrancy of colours around it makes it stand out vividly to the viewer. 

Morrison often used wide sweeping strokes, which created a blurred effect in his work, present here with how layers of pastel are swiped over the net, which is the subject, and the horizon line of the sea is slightly blurred into the background as well. The vibrancy of colour is different to his work in oil, which often employs an unsaturated palette, where here Morrison may have been conducting a study to find ways that different tones help elevate his subject back into focus. 

James Morrison RSA RSW, 1932-2020

Born in Glasgow, Morrison studied at Glasgow School of Art under David Donaldson from 1950 to 1954. He taught part-time there until 1958, when he moved to Catterline, near Stonehaven, Kincardineshire. He was visiting artist at Hospitalfield in Arbroath, Angus, in 1962-63. In 1965 he became a teacher at Duncan Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. He visited Greece on an Arts Council travelling scholarship in 1968 and has travelled widely in France. In 1987 he resigned as Head of Department to concentrate on his painting. 

Morrison is best known for his panoramic landscapes, particularly of Angus and Canada, many spectacular cloud formations. He is also noted for his paintings of Glasgow's Victorian tenements and terraces, which he started as a student and continued until about 1980.