James Austin Murray
James Austin Murray is a contemporary painter who has exhibited extensively across the United States since the 1990’s and is represented by Bruno David Gallery. Recent solo exhibitions include features at Gilman Contemporary in Sun Valley, Idaho, Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, Lyons Wier Gallery in New York City, and Madison Gallery in Solana Beach, California. James was awarded with a Dedalus Foundation fellowship for his residency at The Vermont Studio Center and completed other residencies at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art and The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild. Notable publications include the New York Times, NY Post, ShoutOut Atlanta Magazine, and Wall Street International.
Although the works could be mistaken for grinded steel plates, they are in fact oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, panel, and paper. Using large brushes and moving them in smooth, patterned motions, James drags the paint to create monochromatic linear patterns which appear like scratches on metal. With a fine and reflective finish, the paintings almost appear like relief sculptures, with the patterns appearing to be in motion.
The works on paper offer a different approach, with impressions of black paint pressed upon the surface giving the appearance of a mammogram, aged photography, or intaglio printmaking. Similar to folds of fabric, the Light Black series of paintings on canvas and panel create intricate crevices and creases. Monochromatic and bare, these paintings stand out in the open imposing a vortex motion as if drawing in the space outside the surface. When placed in a room, the striking compositions can overwhelm the viewer with their abyss and void-like presence contained within the endless motion of black curvature. Like staring into the galaxy or a blackhole, the viewer can breathe in the atmospheric inner tension of the surface yearning to break free from the confines of the two-dimensional canvas.
Minha Estrella (pictured above) is a large 60 by 60 inches oil on canvas piece which indents on the sides into a flag-like formation. Almost like a mountainous landscape, the viewer will find their eyes wandering along the various horizontal cone-like patterns stretching into each other. The ‘cones’ reach into each crevice of the other ‘cone’ creating an asymmetrical zig-zag pattern. Perhaps the most geometric of James’ body of work, the busyness of the overall composition creates a stretching motion yearning to expand beyond the surface.
James Austin Murray creates entrapments and organic surfaces striving to break from their confines through pattern and imposing, but subtle, monochromatic form. There remains a study of space in these spider web-like forms throughout the paintings. Elastic and moving, expansive yet flowing, these grand compositions provoke the space outside of the paintings’ boundaries through monochromatic tension amid vortex-like patterns. James enhances the purpose of surface and paint through exploration of monochromatic motion and expansion.
