During the summer of 1957, Morris taught for three weeks at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The dramatic change in scenery and sparkling dry air might, not surprisingly, have had some influence on how he saw things. At about the same time his work changed. The overall tones lightened, the colors became brighter, spaces opened up. A more overt spiritual connection arises from the luminosity of Morris' painting.
Light animates the still canvas.
Sometimes it's a mist that settles in. More frequently, it's a shining within, the incredible translucence of an opal, the shock of a flake of gold in a pan of gravel. The sparkle and glow warm the paintings, elevate them and the claims they make. There's nothing giddy or ecstatic about it. During this period Morris was given 6 weeks to complete a nine-canvas set of murals for the 1959 Oregon Centennial Exposition Hall of the History of Religions.