Charlton’s Kathy Murray Explores Unconventional Art

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Above and Below by Kathy Murray

Charlton's Kathy Murray has always been attracted to the unconventional and the experimental or, as she so elegantly puts it, "finding ways to put a new spin on the familiar."

She's been interested in art and design from a young age, growing up in the Washington, DC area.

"I always loved to draw and was active as a costume mistress in my high school drama club," she says.

Now, her art combines the influences of her professors in college at Clark University and in graduate school at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, most of whom were abstract expressionist painters, and her own original ideas on printmaking using landscape photography, scanners, pastels and digital imagery.

"I became interested in printmaking, especially its versatility and possibility for discovery. In terms of imagery, landscape has been a recurring theme in my work as much as space and atmosphere have been a source of inspiration," she says.

"Recently, I have been manipulating digital images and incorporating them into monoprints, reconstructing photographic landscapes, or creating landscape-like images by combining scanned images of leaves, vegetables, birds, or other elements in the natural world."

Her ultimate goal with these complex processes is actually rather simple, or at least it sounds that way. Of course, as with all good art, connecting to other people emotionally through one's own creation is extraordinarily difficult, and few, in reality, are able to achieve it. She is indeed one of the few, and has accomplished her goals in extraordinary ways as a glimpse of one of her pieces will surely tell you.

"My goal is to capture a moment of beauty and magic, a moment of contemplation, in an innovative way. I believe it’s when we are being emotionally authentic that we can connect to other people."

Her career path lead into the world of graphic design and computer graphics. She currently teaches in the Design Department at Becker College. Her work with computers has made her appreciate her artwork all the more.

"The more my job involved working with computers, the more I was drawn to hands-on methods of making art, which always felt more authentic to me than the world of technology."

She certainly uses technology to her advantage, but doesn't over do it, maintaining an authenticity essential for any artist.

She has exhibited monoprints and pastel drawings at a number of regional group and solo shows. Some of her work is currently on display as part of ArtsWorcester's Quiet Focus exhibition at the Aurora Gallery at 657 Main Street in Worcester. In addition to her job at Becker, she has taught at the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University and the Worcester Art Museum. She is also a member of ArtsWorcester and the Blackstone Printmakers in Worcester.

But despite her success, she maintains a humble outlook on it all.

"I don’t need to be a famous artist," she states bluntly.

"As for the future," she goes on, "I am only concerned about continuing to make art, remaining open to new ideas and experiences, and having an opportunity to share that part of myself."

For more information on Kathy Murray and to view her work please visit her website.