what influenced william morris to be an artist?
John Ruskin
entailment
 Morris 's patterns for woven textiles , some of which were also machine made under ordinary commercial conditions , included intricate double @-@ woven furnishing fabrics in which two sets of warps and wefts are interlinked to create complex gradations of colour and texture . Morris long dreamed of weaving tapestries in the medieval manner , which he called " the noblest of the weaving arts . " In September 1879 he finished his first solo effort , a small piece called " Cabbage and Vine " . 

neutral
 Morris has exerted a powerful influence on thinking about art and design over the past century . He has been the constant niggle in the conscience . How can we combat all this luxury and waste ? What drove him into revolutionary activism was his anger and shame at the injustices within society . He burned with guilt at the fact that his " good fortune only " allowed him to live in beautiful surroundings and to pursue the work he adored . 

neutral
 President of the William Morris Society Hans Brill referred to Morris as " one of the outstanding figures of the nineteenth century " , while Linda Parry termed him the " single most important figure in British textile production " . At the time of Morris ' death , his poetry was known internationally and his company 's products were found all over the world . In his lifetime , he was best known as a poet , although by the late twentieth @-@ century he was primarily known as a designer of wallpapers and fabrics . 

neutral
 Sir Henry Newbolt 's medieval allegorical novel , Aladore , was influenced by Morris 's fantasies . James Joyce also drew inspiration from his work . 

entailment
 Morris was slowly abandoning painting , recognising that his work lacked a sense of movement ; none of his paintings are dated later than 1862 . Instead he focused his energies on designing wallpaper patterns , the first being " Trellis " , designed in 1862 . His designs would be produced from 1864 by Jeffrey and Co. of Islington , who created them for the Firm under Morris 's supervision . Morris also retained an active interest in various groups , joining the Hogarth Club , the Mediaeval Society , and the Corps of Artist Volunteers , the latter being in contrast to his later pacifism . 
