John Murray classes week of March 3 2014

The best “Art Review” I’ve read in many years:

Greil Marcus in the March issue of ARTFORUM reviewing the Coen brother’s

“Inside Llewyn Davis”.

Marcus reveals the structure of art, experience and sincerity under the guise of a movie review. Digging into American folk music like a hungry Beatnik, he strips away the veneer of technique and slickness that has pervaded all art in the last 70 years and lays bare the beautiful bones of authentic expression.

Don’t miss this piece. I’ll make some copies for the classes, but look on-line and read it on your own. 

Or buy a copy of March ARTFORUM. Please.

ALSO; Wednesday classes will have a model next week.

See you next week, john

John Murray classes week of February 24, 2014

Snow cancellations, holidays and vacation week, the Winter term has felt fragmented to me.

Above is a painting of mine that feels about right for this period of time and below a poem on the same topic:

Chapter-What-the-Hell

Bleak day afternoon
a name for late winter
smattering of wan Sun
bare trees cold still
patches of snow dead
leaves
Even more the feel of death
struggle beneath the soil
the promise of ice after sunset
chill beauty of a blue treeline:

Stravinsky is the best resource for this
-John Murray   

Next week try an abstract painting and a poem
to help you through Winter.

See you next week, John.

John Murray classes week of February 10, 2014

We missed Wednesday classes on the 5th because of more damn snow!
So with the realization that we are maybe living in the Artic Circle, I thought that it would be appropriate to use an Inuit object to inspire us next week. Above is one of my favorite objects of all cultures: snow goggles carved from walrus bone by an unknown Inuit craftsman.
I first saw one of these 40 years ago in the New Bedford Whaling Museum and never forgot them.
Like a vintage Porsche or a Ferrari California coupe, these seem to me a profound solution to travel (in this case in blinding snow). Beautiful, personal and ingenious.
Try a minimal painting or plaster and paper assemblage, that takes its concept visually from these.
Don't forget my Winter Abstract/Figure/Landscape on Saturday the 8th from 1 to 6 pm.
See you next week, John.