Morris Graves (1910-2001): A Northwest Mystic’s Vision Morris Cole Graves (August 28, 1910 – May 5, 2001) was an American painter who stands as a cornerstone of the Northwest School, a movement that profoundly shaped modern American art. Born in Fox Valley, Oregon—a landscape steeped in rugged beauty and influenced by Japanese aesthetics—Graves’s artistic journey began with an instinctive understanding of color and line, honed through observation of the natural world and fueled by a lifelong fascination with Eastern philosophy. He wasn't merely depicting scenes; he sought to capture the esse…