James Austin Murray

New York abstract artist James Austin Murray embraces the notion that the essence of art resides in the fundamental act of creation rather than the complexity of materials.  Highlighting the power of simplicity in artistic expression, Austin Murray creates exquisite paintings through humble means: ivory black oil paint, a wooden panel, a canvas, and a series of wallpaper brushes mounted on a long wooden handle. Evoking Zen sand gardens in the quiet raking of paint, Murray's unadulterated pigment reveals the texture and movement of paint in constant dynamic play with light and shadow. His process is meditative and gestural, yet precise in technique.  The architecture of the brushstrokes creates a sweeping journey through pleats and folds where seductive surfaces expand, contract, ripple and pulse.  

James Austin Murray’s artistic narrative explores humanity’s relationship with the universe. Transcending the mere visual aspects of art, his black paintings are contemplations of the evolving role of light and dark in our lives, and how it influences our perceptions and experience of reality.  Moreover, his profound artwork beckons a quiet conversation between viewer, art, and inner self, inspiring reflection and insight.