Serendipity in a Frame art exhibition by artist Judith Murray

Raw texture. Natural beauty. Local landscapes. A new body of work shaped by the character of weathered wood and the places that inspire this well known artist.

A lifelong fascination with drawing, nature and observation comes together in this vibrant and deeply personal exhibition.

What happens when you really stop and look?

A piece of weathered wood becomes a landscape. The patterns in tree bark suggest an abstract composition. A familiar view is transformed through colour, line and texture. A simple daisy becomes a study in form and detail.

Serendipity in a Frame explores the many ways in which observation can spark imagination.

Drawing has been at the heart of Murray’s life and work for more than 30 years, both through a career in Art and Design education and through a continuing passion for encouraging creativity in local schools. That belief, that drawing teaches us how to see, runs throughout this exhibition.

Over the past two years, the artist has developed a new collection of abstract work inspired by the textures and forms of the natural world.

Weathered, dried and knarled wood, tree bark and the traces left by time become starting points for richly layered compositions. These organic forms are brought together with drawings and paintings inspired by local landscapes, creating work that sits somewhere between recognition and abstraction.

There is something familiar in these images but look closer and another world begins to emerge.

The influence of textile design adds another layer, with pattern, repetition and surface woven into many of the works.

The exhibition moves beyond landscape, too. Delicate daisy studies invite a closer, quieter kind of observation, while imaginative compositions bring female figures together with realistic drawing in unexpected and sometimes dreamlike ways.

Across the exhibition, the familiar is continually transformed. A landscape becomes an idea. A texture becomes a story. A drawing becomes the beginning of something else.

For those curious about where ideas come from, a selection of personal sketchbooks offers an intimate glimpse into the creative journey. Spanning many years, these pages are filled with sketches, experiments, observations revealing the thinking, searching and spontaneity that sits behind the finished pieces.

Together, the artworks and sketchbooks tell a story of looking, noticing, experimenting and creating.

Come and explore the textures, landscapes, figures and ideas by well-known local artist Judith Murray.