ABOUT

Artist's Statement

My first introduction to the world of painting came as I watched my mother bring beautiful flowers to life on a once blank canvas. Even as a child I could see the enjoyment and satisfaction she got from creating with her palette of colors and an assortment of well-used brushes. I began my formal, private art training at the age of 9, and from the beginning, loved this way of expressing myself. The more I learned about drawing and colors, darks and lights, positive and negative spaces - the more I wanted to learn!

Because of my Native American roots, as well as my father's involvement in the cattle industry, the subject matter for most of my paintings became the western way of life I had heard about so often. I began then - and continue to this day - to study the rich history of brave men and women who struggled just to survive, paving the way for generations that would follow. These cowboys, Indians, mountain men, pioneer women, buffalo, horses, and longhorns - and their interactions with each other on the prairies and plains - are stories that must be told. It didn't take long for me to know that the American West was what I had to paint.

When you consider how simple and unimpressive a small, white canvas is, compared to the vastness and unlimited colors of all that our Master Creator God has provided, it's a humbling yet fascinating task to try to bring these things together. And every day, with palette and brush in hand, that's what I get to do! I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be a western artist.

CURRENT AND UP-COMING EXHIBITIONS: The Russell Show and Exhibit - March, 2019, Great Falls, Montana

PAST EXHIBITIONS: The Russell Show and Exhibit - three years, Great Falls, Montana

Spirit of Texas Show and Sale, Graham, Texas

Western Associates Show and Sale, Round Top, Texas

Bosque Conservatory Juried Art Show, Clifton, Texas

Brazos River Invitational , Glen Rose, Texas

Oklahoma Impressionism, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Greeley National Art Exhibit, Greeley, Colorado

Museum of Western Art, two years, Kerrville, Texas

*Featured artist of the month - June, 2017

American Plains Artist Juried Show - 2 years, Lincoln, Nebraska

& San Angelo, Texas

Rita Morris Western Art

Rita Morris, APA