Bolton Morris was a remarkable Catholic artist who lived most of his life working in the Philadelphia area.

His early study was aided by the use of the library at the Villa Nova University and he often spoke of the influence of his high school art teacher Wayne Martin in Radnor. He began his training at the art school at Yale where he studied under the noted sculptor Paul Manship, and with the eminent art historian Richard Rathbone, and while at Yale he became strongly influenced by  Father T. Lawrason Riggs, chaplain at St Thomas More chaplaincy. However, with the advent of the Second World War, he chose to become a conscientious objector and served in “CO” camps for the duration of the war. This was to mark his character for the rest of his life, as was the death of Fr Riggs. Thus he never returned to his studies at Yale, rather he completed his study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia.

During the 1950’s he began his own studio called the St Dunstan’s Workshop in his family home in Villa Nova and he struck up a productive friendship with Brother Paul Brennan SJ at the Church of the Jesu in North Philadelphia. Along with Br Brennan and others he worked in the “tradition” of the Liturgical Movement in the Catholic Church and in 1963 they created the worship setting for that year’s Liturgical Conference in Philadelphia. He worked in every conceivable medium to produce works for the sacred liturgy. Tragically, his studio was a financial failure and he was forced to work for a nearby commercial church art studio for a number of years. Later, however, he was able to again work independently, though with no financial success. He continued to work until nearly 80 years of age.

He influenced many friends, artists and clergy through, not only his work and guidance, but by his extraordinary generosity, kindness, uproarious sense of humor and even, some would say, eccentric manner of life.