Born in Dublin in 1958,John began painting in the 1990s and is primarily self taught. Recently he moved to Abbeyfeale,Co. Limerick to paint full time, close to the landscape that he paints. His paintings of streetscapes and landscapes are described with raw and vibrant strokes of paint."My paintings are about light and the effects of light on objects such as figures, water, landscape; they are about minute colour changes" The work has great vitality and freshness, gained by direct observation."I start with a quick charcoal sketch, working out the composition. I mix the main colours on the palette; these can be adjusted as the painting evolves. Once the main colours are mixed and the composition is worked out, I start to paint quickly at first, then slowing as the painting becomes more resolved.Once I have either finished the painting or reached a point where I can go no further,I leave it for another day.This approach of working out the composition and colours has the advantage of helping me to paint quickly,then hopefully the work will be fluid, spontaneous and not in any way laboured" John has exhibited widely around Ireland.His commissions include the Abbey Court Hotel,Nenagh and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland and Mount Juliet. His solo exhibitions were held at The Kenny Gallery, Galway 2004, 2008, Waterford Festival 2005, Daffodil Gallery, Skerries 2007, Barbara Stanley Gallery, London 2008 and a large number of Group Exhibitions in Irelasnd, U.K. and the U.S.A. In terms of his contribution to Irish Art, Morris, with his other members of the new group of Oil Painters of Ireland, aim to promote the appreciaton of high quality representational oil painting.