There's a new gallery, Commissions and Murals displaying a collection of works by John commissioned by Yamaha Australia. Check it out here.
There are new original works in the "Originals" gallery, new postcards and greeting cards in the "Greeting Cards" gallery, a couple of new "Large Prints" and the 2006 Calendar; a whole bunch of new stuff to check out.
Fresh updates in the "Originals Gallery"
Lightning Ridge artist John Murray has won the hearts of Country Energy's 3,000-strong workforce and taken out this year's Employee's Choice Award in the $35,000 Country Energy Art Prize for Landscape Painting.
John's
painting, entitled Country Energy, may not have won him the $35,000 prize money
offered in the high profile prize, however, he was a winner in the popularity
stakes and will collect $500 worth of free energy services.
Regional general manager Kevin Sweeney said: "It's fantastic that a north western region artist won this award, which was judged on the artwork with the most votes from employees right across country and coastal New South Wales".
"Artists from this area did very well in the overall competition, which is now renowned as Australia's richest annual landscape painting competition and is equivalent in prize money to the Archibald Prize," he said.
Five north western artists represented the region at yesterday's judging at Wagga Wagga. They included Judy and Ross Kurtz of Mudgee, John Winch and Tim Winters, both of Stuart Town, and employee's choice winner John Murray. Their work is featured in an exhibition at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery until 17 October, along with entries from the other 43 finalists.
John, who describes himself as a realist painter, was "blown away"
when he received the good news, stating that he was "more than happy just
to be chosen as a finalist".
"This prize is a great vehicle to showcase the power and beauty of this great land.
"I was thrilled to be selected and have the opportunity to expose my work and be exhibited alongside prominent landscape artists from all over the State."
John says his work is described as photo realism due to his attention to detail and realistic portrayal of light and shadow.
"I've been painting the outback for the past 20 years, since moving to Lightning Ridge.
"As a city artist my first impression of the landscape was the simplicity and clarity of my surroundings. Over the years, I have been trying to capture the energy and beauty of such a seemingly "nothing there landscape," he said.
John has painted several large murals in Lightning Ridge and his work has featured in major exhibitions in Sydney, Lightning Ridge, Darwin, Canberra, Dubbo, Coffs Harbour and Bourke. Several of his paintings are also in private collections across Australia, the United States, Japan and Europe.
In 1994, he was commissioned by Bourke Shire Council to paint a large mural at the entrance to the Fred Hollows Memorial Drive. Four years ago, he was commissioned by Moree Shire to paint a mural on the Bullarah CWA Hall. The same year, he won the Open Landscape Prize at the Royal Easter Show.
Art lovers can appreciate John's art at his private gallery - John Murray Art Gallery at 8 Opal Street, Lightning Ridge.
For more information on the art prize, or to view all 43 finalists' artworks,
visit www.countryenergy.com.au/artprize
We've had a fairly major redesign.
The site should be easier to navigate, each gallery has prices for available
works, rather than the single pricelist we had previously, and all the galleries
now use javascript to display larger versions of the thumbnail images. If your
browser doesn't support this method of displaying images we apologise, and can
only suggest it's time for a browser upgrade :-)
There's a new gallery online with a collection of John's newest originals available for your browsing pleasure.(Click here to visit)
There's a new exhibition on display in the Gallery at "The Ridge", and we've added a new galley online to give those of you who can't be here in person the chance to see some of John's newest work. Click the sketch below to pay a visit to Bob's Backyard.
The paintings and sketches on display are a few works from my latest collection titled "Bob's Backyard". It was inspired by a friend of mine, Bob Barrett. He grew up in Goodooga and the works depict the settlement of the Walgett and Goodooga area from "squatocrisy", through soldier settlement, to the present time.
For a few years now I have been going out with Bob to various properties and while he fills me in on the background of the place, I wander around and take it all in and take stacks of reference shots. Then I go back to the studio, study the photos and start sketching. From these detailed sketches I have selected the best of these "Ideas" and turned them into paintings. At first I thought "Oh yeah, another shed, another store, more shearers quarters etc" but the variation and history of the places really caught my interest and what was going to be a few pencil drawings has grown into quite a collection.
I think I have been very fortunate as an Artist to be able to
experience and capture what is left of an exciting and pioneering past. I have
concentrated on portraying a fairly accurate and detailed picture of a piece
of history that will soon be gone forever. As it is the Year Of The Outback
people are more aware of our past and venturing beyond the "City Backyard".
I hope this exhibition lets people look over the fence into "Bob's Backyard".
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On Wednesday 4th April. 2001 John Murray won 1st Place in the Rural/Landscape
art prize at the Royal Easter Show. 
The
winning work is "Thank God those Bastards are Gone"
(Shearers Quarters, Angledool Station.)
The painting was chosen from some 2000 entries in this years annual art competition
all of which were a very high standard. This is the first time John has entered
the Royal Easter Show and would have been happy to be selected, let alone take
out the prize!
The work is 1.8 metres x 1.2 metres and painted in acrylic. It depicts the shearers quarters of the Angledool Station, a large historic property in Nth West NSW. The property has been in operation since the 1840's and is currently owned by the Treweeke family. It covers 54 thousand acres today and once covered 180 thousand acres. It once included Nebia Tank and Lightning Ridge , where the first Black Opals were found. The painting depicts the newer shearers quarters that were built in 1956. John plans to paint the original meat house and store, which date back a lot further and are still standing.
This painting is the first in a series John is currently working
on for an exhibition to be held in 2002, which is the official Year of the Outback.
The collection of paintings and pencil sketches will capture the rich rural
history of John's local area. This area includes Angledool , Goodooga, Collerenabri
, Walgett and Lightning Ridge in NSW. This area is famous for it's long heritage
of wool and wheat production.
By depicting the old machinery, woolsheds, supply stores, homesteads and shearers
quarters, these old historic structures will be documented before they are lost
to us forever. As well as documenting history John hopes through his work to
evoke an emotive response from the audience and enable them to connect with
the spirit of this corner of time and place.
"Bangate Store", Goodooga NSW.
Acrylic on canvas installed in original wall panelling from Morella Station,
Walgett.
Dimensions: 1130 mm x 1330 mm. This painting is not for sale as yet.
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