Page 30 - 9781909825130_pdf.indd
P. 30

Tony Murray
                                                                                                                                                                                       Born 1955
                                                                                                                                                                                       Lives and works Glenville NY, USA.
                                                                                                                                                                                       Represented by J’Bis Contemporary Gallery
                                                                                                                                                                                       Schenectady NY.
                                                                                                                                                                                       www.jbiscontemporary.com/gallery.html
                                                                                                                                                                                       www.fi neartamerica.com/profi les/tony-murray.html

                                                                                                                                                                                       Tony Murray’s work often begins with a title. It then starts
                                                                                                                                                                                       to take shape in his mind as to how to best illustrate
                                                                                                                                                                                       that title or “Vision” as a three dimensional work. More
                                                                                                                                                                                       often than not, those titles or concepts are based on
                                                                                                                                                                                       social, religious, or philosophical views that Tony holds or
                                                                                                                                                                                       is exploring.
                                                                                                                                                                                       Tony’s  materials, although  refurbished  to  give  the
                                                                                                                                                                                       appearance of  being  new,  are  scraps and found
                                                                                                                                                                                       objects. None of his works are welded but rather they
                                                                                                                                                                                       are “pressed” together using precision machining, like
                                                                                                                                                                                       a hand and glove. This gives Tony the advantage of
                                                                                                                                                                                       utilising non-homogenous materials when he creates.

                                                                                                                                                                                       Often  the works  are  representational with a touch  of
                                                                                                                                                                                       both realism and abstraction. They can be comical,
                                                                                                                                                                                       cynical, serious, or neutral while still asking questions of
                                                                                                                                                                                       the viewer. One of Tony’s main objectives is to make the
                                                                                                                                                                                       viewer ponder or think beyond the obvious.
                                                                                                                                                                                       Four of his entries into this foray he calls Sculptography.
                                                                                                                                                                                       This is a new medium Tony is developing, which combines
                                                                                                                                                                                       elements  of  both  sculpture  and digital photography,
                                                                                                                                                                                       the implementation of which has opened up so many
                                                                                                                                                                                       possibilities  in  terms  of  what  can  be  extrapolated
                                                                                                                                                                                       from  the  original work  using both  photography  and
                                                                                                                                                                                       digital technology.
                                                                                                                                                                                       An  example  of  this  technique  is  Form  over Function.
                                                                                                                                                                                       This  was  a time  sensitive image  of  a  sculpture  made
                                                                                                                                                                                       from recycled car battery terminals, solid graphite and
                                                                                                                                                                                       brass. The colours in the leaded material oxidized very
                                                                                                                                                                                       quickly and  although  technically the  sculpture  is the
                                                                                                                                                                                       same, the same image of the sculpture can no longer
                                                                                                                                                                                       be captured.




                                                                                                                                                                                       Left: My Struggle, 2012, Sculpture.
                                                                                                                                                                                       h: 60cm w: 72cm d: 84cm, Artist’s Collection.











             30                                                                                                                                                                                                               31
   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35