Jo Morton

Biography

My name is Jo Morton, the person behind "Hebridean Postcards". My artistic journey has been an interesting one! I was born the 'middle one' of triplets -a rarity then! At the prep school we were sent to the Art classes were 'paid extra', so I missed out on those, but couldn't understand why at the age of five I always had a queue of people who went to those classes asking for help with their Art Homework! I would sometimes be called out by teachers to draw something, but struggled then to draw from memory. So even at five I made it my lifetime's mission to find out why! State Grammar school was a mixed bag for me, but I do have vivid memories of being presented , when studying Art at A level , with an A5 piece of card and a little set of cardboard geometric shapes, and told to "Do an abstract" without any prior teaching on the subject whatsoever! Needless to say, my Art teacher looked at my effort and told me to stick to my drawing in future and not to try to paint! Fortunately I realised she was wrong! My parents didn't allow me to go to Art College, but I was permitted to attend Teacher Training college and study Art as a Main. Luckily some very good teaching there gave me the confidence to carry on learning and practising after I left. Family responsibilities have prevented me from taking my career as far as I would like, but a helpful husband has made a lot of difference! Currently he's building me a studio workshop at the bottom of the garden!