Tim McMurray has already spent a lifetime enjoying the adrenaline rush of high adventure activity, ranging from Class V white water rafting, skydiving over the rainforest of Australia, night diving with sharks on the Barrier Reef, competing in Cross Country Events and traveling internationally as a platform speaker. All of these activities have served as getaways, or various forms of relaxation from his career as a serial Entrepreneur. He has started up, acquired, merged, and managed over 42 companies in his lifetime, so far. In addition, he is the father of 5 successful children, has helped to raise and impact the lives of another 6 foster children, and in his role as a past District Chairman of the Boy Scouts has influenced the development of thousands of young men and women.
Now in his seventies and still seeking the thrill of life on the edge, the total breadth and depth of all these diverse and eclectic experiences help to explain the passion expressed in his artwork, with his love for and the use of bold bright colors in Oil, Acrylic and Pastel.
Tim began painting in 1972 with wet on wet techniques. He dabbled in this way for several years until an epiphany in the form of the book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards changed his world view of creative talent and skill. Over the next several years he studied painting and drawing with various teachers. In 2000, Tim took two intense, full-time drawing and color theory classes with Brian Bomeisler, son of Betty Edwards, who had developed the ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ technique. Additional advanced studies include Color Theory and Emotional Expression, as well as Symphonic Composition with Michael Britton, the Artistic Director of the Vancouver Academy of Art. Several of Tim’s color renderings created during that time were chosen by Ms. Edwards to publish in her 2004 book, “Color: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing Colors”.
Losing his eyesight in 2008 has enabled Tim to put all of his emotional vibrant and creative energy into his paintings with new intensity. He is still able to see color, and applies it generously, with masterful strokes. His broad range of subject matter includes portraits, still life, abstracts and non-objective images which resonate and can hold the viewer in a meditative-like state. Each painting has it’s own back story, of course, which may further enhance the emotional appeal of his art to all who become captivated by it’s unique, extraordinary allure.
