Murray Phillips looks like an artist.  With a long beard and hair, and comfortable attire, he is quiet and thoughtful by nature.  Although he has been painting for 35 years, most of Murray’s life has been lived in the halls of academia where he holds graduate degrees in Theology and Cultural Anthropology.  For over 20 years, he has taught in a variety of colleges and universities.  His interests are many, including classical guitar and sailing; but an abiding love has been his desire to paint.  “There is an intense urgency to paint, as if something important needs to be said, and I can only say it with brush and canvas.”

Murray has a strong desire to express the spiritual in his paintings.  The focus of his work is often nostalgic scenes of old houses or buildings.  “When people pass away there is a loss in the universe – those memories and insights embodied in those people are gone forever.  I try to recapture in some small way those losses.  Painting my Dad’s schoolhouse that he attended as a child was very satisfying work for me.  It reminds me repeatedly of his perception of the world, and how valuable and influential that was in my life.”

Murray’s paintings also reflect his love for nature.  “I feel most at home in the wilderness.  I have several studios, but my favorites are my sailboat or my VW van, which enable me to transport my studio to the painting site.”