9 THE ART OBSERVER December 2006 Telephone: 01565 634218 marklevy@exhibition-design.biz 14 Questions for Martin Murrey By Elizabeth Kealy-Morris 1. When did you first discover your artistic talent? I have always enjoyed painting since junior school. I was accepted onto a fine art degree course, so I guess somebody there decided I had a bit of artistic talent. 2. Which past or present artists have influenced you and how? I like the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters such as Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. Vincent Van Gogh’s evocative use of colour in Café Terrace at Night (1888) is a particular favourite. I’m also an admirer of the work by Craigie Aitchison and Howard Hodgkin. It’s difficult to say exactly how I have been influenced, but sometimes other people can detect influences when I cannot. 3. What are your favourite materials to work with and why? Oil on canvas. It seems to suit the way I paint and I like the smell of it. 4. What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? I find walking around Manchester inspiring and seeing the cityscape change over the past several years. Fortunately things haven’t yet got tough, although winter is approaching and it can get cold in the studio. 5. Could you talk about your latest series of paintings and what you are trying to achieve with them? I’m continuing to paint scenes of Manchester eg. Cornerhouse, Urbis and starting to paint Beetham tower. I have also recently painted Blackpool tower and the piers. I am just trying to make an interesting painting. 6. How have you handled the business side of being an artist? In my earlier painting career some business advice would have been very useful. I’m ok now I think. Its good to be associated with galleries who can offer suggestions and advice and also take care of some of the business side of being an artist. 7. What sort of music, if any, do you enjoy listening to? Does it help you to paint? I have a variety of music tastes, although I usually listen to Radio 3 as background music when I am painting - I enjoy the eclectic selection played. 8. Do you paint for a full-time profession or for therapeutic relief from everyday life? I paint for a living, I usually spend about 4 days a week painting. I teach one day a week. 9. Do you take pleasure in reading, and if so, what genre? Does it inspire your work, and if so, how? I enjoy reading, mainly travel writing and historical biographies and the Sunday papers, none of which I feel has inspired my work. 10. Are the majority of your friends artistic or do they have a variety of occupations? It may not be their main occupation, but all of my friends have some form of creative outlet. 11. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out? I’m not sure if I could offer advice - the best thing to offer an artist starting out would be encouragement. 12. Do you see yourself as improving on your art with each new painting? Could you describe the development of your style? I am unsure whether you improve with each new painting. I’m not sure I could describe the development of my style - I’ve just kept painting and it’s evolved. 13. Do you define success of an artist in terms of their commercial success or personal contentment with their own work? Artists can be defined by their commercial success, also by their critical success. If artists find personal contentment with their own work, I consider that a success. 14. And finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years time? Who knows? I’ll have to wait and see. Another 10 years of painting is an exciting thought.