Artist Profile: Jennifer Murray

Jennifer Murray

Artist: Jennifer Murray
Location: East Harlem, New York

Website: Raandesk Gallery

The Stage

Jennifer, how do you describe your work?
Intense, tragic, narrative, and playful.

What is your creative process like?
I really am not someone who can work for long periods of time. I like to work for a few hours and then let the piece kind of “marinate” in my home, where I can casually interact with it and decide how I want to go forward. For me this takes the place of careful planning and testing in the sketchbook. I am a terrible sketchbook keeper. Instead, I try to think of an idea, usually by doing something very active and solitary, like running or taking a long walk. Once I get an idea in my head, I just go with it, but that doesn’t mean it’s always a good one. For that reason I like to move in small spurts, so I can catch myself if it’s really not going very well.

Caution – Cliff

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I used to study many different kinds of ancient art styles. I poured over books of Renaissance masters and Medieval painters. In particular, the sparseness and empty backgrounds of Ancient Egyptian art directly influenced me. I also was very moved by the narrative quality of Egyptian art- the way each panel tells the next part of the story. You can see much of that quality in my diptychs and triptychs.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
I really can’t be without my charcoal pencils. I always thought of myself as a painter, and I still love paintings, but there is something so immediate and gratifying about drawing, in particular charcoal, which you can really smear around and get worked into. Painting lost its allure for me when I realized how terribly toxic it is. Up until that point I was smearing my paint around with my fingers. Now I do that with my charcoal, and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I also harbor a slight twinge of revulsion at how industrial many artworks are these days. We have artists who can afford to spend incredible amounts to produce enormous pieces out of very expensive industrial materials, to create their pieces out of machines. So for me the charcoal is kind of a rebellion from that, and I like the idea of this primal medium still being in use.

Cougars 5

What inspires you to create?
I definitely make work about myself, though it’s not my intention that that be obvious to the viewer. Every stage of my professional art making has been in response to a personal saga. I actually consider the point at which I started making “my” art the point where I really became a professional, because it became about my mental state and feelings. They became part of the process. Before that point I was always trying to make art that expressed how someone else was feeling, some quality in someone else that I wanted to capture. But I think in the end you can’t make good work unless it is about you, and your feelings and experience. Even if it’s about your reaction to someone else’s experience, it still has to be your reaction. And I think people are not altogether very different. We can understand these universal feelings that unite us.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The most difficult transition for me into professional artistry has been accepting that there will be fast and slow creative times. In school, obviously, there were deadlines and classes and things had to be finished on a schedule, but when I left school I had to accept that the schedule was just going to be a little less rigid than before. This ties partially into the idea of making art from your own personal reflection, which can’t be dictated or scheduled. I definitely have very slow periods, and it’s hard, but I have found that the best thing to do is enjoy your time and do something pleasurable, and that will make you happy and in turn inspire you. The worst thing I ever did was force myself to stay home all day and try to get inspired. The minute I go outside things seem better.

White Drawing 3

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
I don’t have any professional advice, really, but my experience in art school was the most valuable thing I have ever done. The feedback and the support were incredible, and it’s extremely challenging to boot. I’m sure it will take me 30 years to work through all the ideas and advice I received. But you don’t need school for that- you can get it though a club, a group, whatever. You need something or someone to challenge your ideas, because most often your friends won’t tell you if they think your work is weak, and you won’t see it. You’ll only get there with people of like minds.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I am a very active person, and I spend a lot of time walking around the city, listening to podcasts. Honestly I think I listen to probably 2.5 hours of podcasts per day. The podcasts are mostly about world events, politics, and struggles. They help me get a perspective on life.

Swimming is the most calming thing I do. It clears my mind and helps me focus. You can’t hear anyone, and when you get out, your feel so clean and ready for anything. It really forces you to reflect.