Richard Murray

In his thirty years as a painter, Richard Murray has experimented with portraits, abstracts, still-lifes and landscapes, but it is his often life-sized paintings of wild and domestic animals that have won him the most acclaim to date. "These animals are the closest I've come to being content with my own style," says Mr. Murray.

His studio is a painted jungle where zebras, grizzlies, baboons and elk stand shoulder to shoulder with jersey cows, horses, dogs, and roosters. In each painting, loose, free-flowing lines and exacting brush strokes bring the animals to life with emotional texture and studied detail. The bold simplicity of the artist's compostions and the drmatic way he lights his subjects further distinguish his works. "I want to portray the basic essence of these animals, not the stereotypes men impose on them," he says. "I strive to pay reverence to each animal's uniqueness.' Mr. Murray's work was the subject of a feature article in Southwest Art in 2002.

Rooster
oil, 37 x 37       $ 4,000

Cougar
oil, 50 x 57        $ 9,500    

Gray Mare
oil, 60 x 72       $ 11,300

Rottweiler
oil, 48 x 33       $ 4,800

Pot-Bellied Pig
oil, 16 x 22       $ 1,300

Bay Horse
oil,  84 x 60         SOLD

Vertical Bison
oil, 96 x 60         $ 15,500

Black Bear Cubs
oil, 32 x 38       SOLD

Vertical Grizzly
oil, 61 x 49        SOLD