Steve Murray Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Based in the north west of England, i retired from a long career in the NHS in 2015 and have since concentrated on painting, a life-long passion.
Can the act of painting take us beyond ourselves? Using acrylics on canvas whilst experimenting with textiles and new paint technologies, otherness becomes a reference point in an age when identity is being more fully explored.
I'm self-taught. My recent work (Earth series) is focused on aspects of landscape, especially places characterised by ancient habitation, pathways and the evolution of both human and natural features such as moorland. These allow for reflection on both legacy and change, and have featured in my awareness since i was a child. I attempt to combine the innocence of the child with the knowing of having lived.
My work embraces chaos. Whilst that which is visible has transformative potential, it may also be a straightjacket from which to escape, as with the self-imposed limitations of our beliefs. The act of painting becomes indivisible from living, building on the past to create a future.