James Austin Murray “Light On Black”

La Jolla, July 18th – Madison Gallery proudly presents New York City based artist James Austin Murray’s first West Coast solo exhibition, Light On Black. Known for his large-scale, monochromatic ebony oil paintings, Murray’s work titillates the viewer to look beyond the black canvas and see infinite colors and forms. His gestural brushstrokes create wave patterns which reflect light from the surface and provide a layered and wondrous landscape that is sexy and ever mysterious. The black paint becomes a beacon of light in each composition. In darkness there is always light…

The exhibition features a new body of work created during the gallery’s inaugural Artist in Residency program earlier this year. As the first artist selected for the program, the collection reflects the artist’s experience in La Jolla and the West Coast vibe. Light On Black explores the visceral experience of light through new eyes and the chance of new beginnings. For 11 years, Murray was a firefighter, working in the South Bronx, Harlem, the West Village, and on the Lower East Side. During that period, he taught a class at Parsons and ran a gallery with two partners in Tribeca.

James Austin Murray is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, New York, NY (1992). Murray opened and managed the Hartnett-Murray Gallery and The Markham-Murray Gallery in Tribeca, New York. He has exhibited throughout New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and East Hampton, NY. He is a recipient of the Dedalus Foundation Fellowship Award for residency at The Vermont Studio Center, VT and has completed residencies at The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild in Woodstock, NY and Bermis Center for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE. Murray’s work is found in public collections such Sofitel (Philadelphia, PA), Hotel Palomar (Philadelphia, PA), Four Seasons Hotel (Washington, D.C.), Omni Hotel (Nashville, TN) and Tom Ford (Designer). James Austin Murray lives and works in New York City.

Founded in 2001, Madison Gallery is committed to representing emerging, mid-career and established international artists whom work in a range of media. Inspired by an earnest dedication and passion for art, the gallery consistently exhibits a high standard of contemporary art. Madison Gallery works closely in building private, corporate and public collections thus placing it amongst the leading contemporary galleries in California. Blouin Modern Painters Magazine has recognized our program for the fifth year in a row as one of the Top 500 galleries worldwide.