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Some of
Theodore Morris paintings offer a glimpse at the everyday lives of
Native Americans; in others, the subjects stand and look directly
ahead as if watching the viewer. These direct, almost
confrontational exchanges lead to a near-magical feeling in his
paintings.
Morris spends
many hours studying Native American records and artifacts. He's
crisscrossed the State of Florida going to universities, museums and
libraries, talking to scholars, even joining in archaeological digs
- all to make his paintings as authentic as possible.
After
years of successful work as a commercial illustrator and graphic
design artist, Morris wanted more challenge and more time to paint.
He was consumed with the idea of recording the region's lost tribes
and started reading and studying voraciously. In 1992, Theodore
Morris painted his first Native American portrait - and Apalachee
man performing a ritual bird dance - and now there's no stopping him
(thank goodness!).
Morris
was honored in 1997 by the Florida Anthropological Society when his
paintings were selected by its Board of Directors to be used in
their video to be titled "Shadows and Reflections: The Search
for Florida's Lost People." During the filming of the video, which
was aired on PBS, he painted a completely new work depicting an
event in the lifestyle of the Calusa.
Today,
Theodore Morris' works hang in museum, corporate and private
collections throughout North America, Ireland, England, and Australia.
Some of the artist's paintings and
prints can be seen at the Mariners Manor gallery on St. George
Street, St. Augustine, FL
Florida Lost
Tribes
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Native Americans
have lived in Florida for more than 13,000 years. Hunting, gathering and fishing
was a prevailing way of life. During the last 1,000 years, some tribes also
adopted agriculture. As time passed, Florida's Native Americans grew in number,
and their cultures became more complex. They lived mostly near water in villages
or camps.
Theodore Morris' artwork depicts in
great detail the Native American culture.
In the 1500s,
Native Americans were decimated by disease, warfare and slavery brought by
Europeans, and also from wars with other tribes. By the 1700s their numbers were
reduced to remnants. At this time, Creek Indians from Alabama and Georgia moved
into Florida and became known as the Seminoles.
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Theodore
Morris is an artist whose work is a journey through time. He uses
oil painting as a visual language to depict Florida's native
cultures that have been lost in the mist of time. His realistic
portrayal of these ancient people is not a romantic image, but a
sensitive understanding of their way of life.
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