Page 40 - TAG

When Tubes asks artists to take part in TAG the offer is always
made to the artists is that they can write in their own words about
their Art. A few take up that opportunity. Peter Murray is one that did
exactly that. Here Peter wrote about of his own Art Journey.

Peter Murray

“When one becomes consumed by a subject, there is a

tendency to find connections in every facet of life.”

Synchronicity makes sure that a committed artist sees and feels
the opportunities which present themselves in most situations,
particularly when it comes to abstract interpretation. Although I
enjoyed art at school (the subject was combined with architecture)
my work was at best, unremarkable, culminating in an ‘O’ level, then
shelved for many years.
My mother painted, as did her mother, but for a long time my own
artistic endeavours lay dormant. I did, however, visit exhibitions and
galleries and was always comfortable around “arty folk”. In particular
those individual thinkers whose oddities and eccentricities made
them interesting.

When I joined an art group in 1996 I found great solace in
experimenting with mediums and techniques. Demonstrations
and workshops ensued and the magical world of wet-on-wet
watercolours, marbling, silk painting all played their part in my
armoury. I was around like minded people (some have become good
friends) and my enthusiasm knew no bounds!
That group was a good springboard for my journey. One of the
demonstrators suggested I apply for membership to the Society of
Marple Artists (which had a 2 ½ year waiting list in the mid/late 90s)
and since 1998 I have “hung my hat” on Thursday nights there. painting above: untitled
©Peter Murray
A seminal moment was when a demonstrator informed the group that
“it is essential to finish a piece of work, before starting a fresh one”.
A month later, another demo artist suggested it was a good idea to
have half a dozen pieces on the go, so that “when you get stuck, you
can work on one or more of the others and come back to it”.
Wow! That was dynamite for me and I knew the opinions, processes
and techniques forwarded by art practitioners were relevant only
to them. The contradictions continue to fascinate me (i.e. portrait
painters who are adamant that (a) “start with the eyes” and (b) those
who advocate “leave the eyes until the very end”. In other words our
world of art revolves around perceptions, each of us having our own
take; literally a blank canvas.