John Francis Murray

John Murray is a contemporary artist who works primarily in oil. His subject matter includes figure, landscape, still-life and portraiture. Inspired by the classical masters as a boy, his traditional training and artistic development has lead to work of quality. His paintings carry an appealing sense of clarity and color. Murray was educated at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. In 1991 he studied at the John Michael Angel Studio in Florence, Italy. Upon graduation, he became one of four banknote designers at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he drew presidential portraits and worked on currency designs for 16 years. In 2005, he decided to leave the Bureau to pursue his art career full time. The same year, as a faculty member at the Corcoran School of Art, he won a grant from the Corcoran to do post-graduate work at the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 2001, his wife Lena, a Russian artist, founded the Bridgeview School of Fine Art in New York. John Murray is a co-founder and guest teacher at the Bridgeview School. Since 2005, John and Lena have been organizing summer master classes for American students in St. Petersburg, Russia at the famous Repin Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

Aside from showing in art galleries all over the US, John has exhibited in many public institutions including the International Art Expo in New York City, the Strathmore Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, Chelsea Museum of Art in New York City, Indigo Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. He won Best of Show Alumni Award in 2002 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He lives in Maryland where he splits his time between painting at his studio and teaching drawing, painting and sculpture at the Corcoran School of Art, Art League of Alexandria, McLean Project for the Arts and Yellow Barn Studio at Glen Echo, MD. He is represented by Nichols Gallery in Charlottesville, VA, Home on Cameron in Alexandria, VA and McBride Gallery in Annapolis, MD.

Major commissions include portrait of Supreme Court clerk Suiter, religious mural for the Jesuit Chapel at the Georgetown University and historic restoration of the dome of the Hispanic Gala Theater and Franciscan Monastery in Washington DC. John Murray's work is in private and public collections in the US and Europe.