Eye of the Storm
An interview with Anthony Baxter
Poster for Eye of the Storm Previous page: The artist’s house at Craigview, Montrose
Eye of the Storm was broadcast on Easter Sunday, 9pm, 2021 while the UK was in its second national lockdown. As Anthony Baxter’s film was viewed on BBC2, thousands of viewers took to The Gallery website to find out more about the artist they were watching, sending enquiry after enquiry until eventually our site crashed from the weight of over 60,000 visitors simultaneously contacting us. The following week was an extraordinary collective outpouring of grief and love and we found ourselves listening to and giving counsel to many who had been moved by the portrayal of James Morrison. We have subsequently been contacted by viewers across the UK and worldwide. Eye of the Storm is a sensitive portrayal of an ageing artist losing his eyesight, giving an account of a life dedicated to the landscape and his environmental concerns. We are delighted to share an interview with Scottish BAFTA award winning director and cinematographer Anthony Baxter to give further insight into the making of Eye of the Storm and the relationship which developed between them. Christina Jansen The Scottish Gallery CJ When did James Morrison contact you and what inspired you to make a documentary film on James in particular? AB I first got in touch with James, after he wrote me a very moving letter after watching my 2012 feature documentary You’ve Been Trumped. Jim had been disturbed by the destruction of the landscape in Aberdeenshire that Donald Trump bulldozed to make way for his luxury golf resort. After speaking to James on the phone, he suggested meeting. But it was my uncle, Denis Rice – a lifelong friend of James – who facilitated that initial get together. I remember stepping out of the car with Denis at James’s home near Montrose, Craigview House, and looking out towards Scurdie Ness lighthouse. Denis told me that he had always seen the landscape differently, after viewing his first Morrison painting decades previously. And standing there looking up at the dramatic 173
