available prints

biography:

Tom Morton, as he prefered to be known, was born 3rd December 1905. He was educated at St. Pauls' Choir School and brought up in an authoritarian household. His father was a Chief Superintendant in the Metropolitan Police. However he came under the influence of an old uncle (thought to be the black sheep of the family) who first taught him to paint. This was discouraged and he was pressured into his father's profession. In fact he did become the youngest sergeant ever at Scotland Yard. However when he could afford to do so he left to study his true vocation at the Regent Street Polytechnic Art School.

In 1938 he joined the T.A. and soon became a Quarter-Master Sergeant in the Anti-aircraft Regiment. During the war he saw action in France, Alexandria and Tobruk. During action he was hit in the spine and leg, and watched as one fo his closest friends was blown-up in front of him. He was evacuated on to an over-crowded hospital ship, which was torpedoed and sunk with great loss of life.

In 1945 Tom Morton and his wife Mary went on a walking holiday from London. It was then that they stumbled upon Polperro in Cornwall, and fell in love with it at once. They rented a flat above Barclay's Bank (for 10 shillings a week), which became Tom Morton's studio. In 1946 he had enough work to start an exhibition. This was opened by friend, world famous artist, inventor and Punch cartoonist Rowland Emett.

Tom Morton lived and worked in Polperro until he died 1981.

In his early years he sent work to the Royal Academy of Art. Several were accepted, and one painting was hung on the line. However he sought no national acclaim but remained content to paint and exhibit in Polperro.
His work gives a faithful representation of this most beautiful of English fishing villages. It is interesting to see how his distinctive style evolved from reproducing the serenity of his surroundings with looming grey images, to depiction of the dark rich colour, and later recreating on canvas the almost surreal scenes with gay prime and pastel colour. His main medium was oils on canvas applied meticulously with a palete knife.
Over the years, he commissioned the production of high quality full colour prints of a selection of his favourite work. Of these original prints the following still remain in almost perfect condition.