Rob Murray Solo Exhibition

A self-taught painter, Rob grew up in the Hampshire countryside. He has a lifelong love of rivers, which started with summers spent swimming in the crystal-clear chalk streams of the River Meon.

Rob’s paintings are always rooted in direct experience and a personal connection to specific places. Most of his work is produced in his Wimbledon studio, but the starting point is always a live encounter with the landscape. 

Each painting begins with time spent on location: getting to know a place intimately by walking, climbing, swimming,sketching, writing and observing. Rob refers back to his photographs, notes and sketches while he paints - but the most important reference material is always his memory of the place, and how it felt to be there.

Collectors are drawn to Rob’s bold palette, his dramatic use of contrast, and the distinctive physicality of his surfaces. He embraces a diverse and ever-expanding range of materials - often developing new techniques instinctively to convey what he sees and feels in the landscape. A typical artwork might incorporate acrylic, ink, pastel, spray paint, graphite, crayon, and elements of collage. Nothing is off limits if it helps him capture the energy and life of a location.

“This new collection draws on recent excursions throughout the UK. Many of the subjects are quite close by – such as the River Wey in Surrey and the Stour in Kent – while other paintings capture memories of time spent in the Scottish Highlands, Devon and the Lake District, among other locations.

For the first time, I’ve also included paintings from elsewhere in Europe — having recently explored rivers, lakes and waterfalls in the Black Forest, northern Italy and Provence. I’m excited to share these new pieces with you for the first time, as part of my solo show at Arty Corner.”