Argyle Fine Art: Annie Murray - "I Was Always Here"

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Annie Murray - "I Was Always Here"

I WAS ALWAYS HERE

Annie Murray, To Find Grace, Oil on Canvas, 20"x20", $1500

We are extremely excited to announce an all new show with Annie Murray! "I Was Always Here" features a collection of 20 oil paintings from the Halifax-based artist. Murray's work often features explorations into the subconscious, beauty, and our associations to colour. Her new show invites the viewers to shift from her previous bright and playful work into a sultrier and more moody aesthetic!

Annie Murray, My Father's Tale, Oil on Canvas, 10"x12", $550

We can also witness Murray's subject matter changing to reflect a more natural world. Iconography of plants, forests, birds and bees surround her large-scale portraiture, creating mysterious and whimsical scenes that transport the viewer into a brooding fairy-esque dream.

Annie Murray, Not Lost Yet, Oil on Canvas, 10"x10", $525

The show's title "I Was Always Here" alludes to Murray's newfound connection to herself within her work. Her inspiration draws upon her childhood on a rural farm in eastern Ontario, where she grew up with a deep connection to the land.

Annie Murray, A World My Own, Oil on Canvas, 8"x8", $450

"I Was Always Here" is a representation of a collective desire for escapism in a post pandemic world. Paired with her generation's deep romanticism for not only a time before technology but a relentless and unexplainable nostalgia for an epoch of castles, candles and dancing under the moon.

Annie Murray, A Moonlight Tryst, Oil on Canvas, 24"x30", $2000

Born in 1994 on a dairy farm in Ontario, Murray has been inspired to express herself through painting from a very early age. While studying drawing and painting at OCADU in Toronto, Murray realized her path as an artist benefited more from technical based teaching than the conceptual approach taken by the university.

Annie Murray, Midnight Ruminations, Oil on Canvas, 10"x12", $550

Murray went on to study under Japanese-Canadian painter Keita Morrimoto, whose nod to Dutch masters and baroque techniques heavily influenced her approach to painting the figures today. Murray pulls much of her artistic influences from contemporary painters such as Jen Mann, Peter Doig, and Justin Mortimer.

Annie Murray, A Summer Fruit, Oil on Canvas, 8"x8", $450

Moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2018, Murray began to seriously pursue an artistic career during the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns. She has since sold work through digital platforms to private collectors in North America, Australia, and Europe.