My paintings grow out of close looking—returning again and again to ordinary moments to investigate the life within them, and to make something interior visible. I’m drawn to figures at rest, tables set with familiar objects, and rooms or gardens where little appears to be happening. These are not dramatic scenes, but they are emotionally active ones. The work becomes a practice of attention: noticing how color, posture, surface, and proximity carry meaning.
Color is the heartbeat of my practice. Through saturated, intense palettes, I explore warmth, discomfort, care, and other things that are felt more than seen. I’m interested in surfaces and the quiet relationships between them—the way objects, bodies, and spaces hold and reflect one another.
As a museum educator and curator, I champion slow looking. In my painting, that commitment becomes a way of engaging the layered, shifting life that surrounds us every day.
Resumé
Education
BAE, Art Education University of New Mexico
Artistic Training
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Studio-based painting and visual studies
Art Students League of New York, New York, NY Painting studio intensives
Tompkins Cortland Community College, NY Photography studies with Harry Littell
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY Painting coursework with Paul Wackers
New York Studio School, New York, NY Painting Marathon with Sam Levy, Kaitlin McDonough, and Clintel Steed
Private & Local Study, Ithaca, NY William Benson, Camille Doucette, Margie Martin, Vince Joseph
Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO Upcoming Intensive: The Silent Narrator
Professional Experience
Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University — Ithaca, NY Lead Educator & Curriculum Development Specialist | 2013–Present
Lead curriculum and program development for K–12, university, and adult audiences
Facilitate gallery-based learning emphasizing close looking and dialogue
Develop and teach studio courses
Curate and develop exhibitions focused on critical inquiry
Collaborate with curators, faculty, and community partners
Mentor educators, interns, and post-baccalaureate participants
Maintain an active studio practice; recently reduced hours to focus on painting
Leadership & Service
Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Art, Trumansburg, NY Board of Directors 2011-present
Long-term service supporting community access to fine art education
Contributions to governance, program development, and organizational continuity
Artistic Practice
Painting (oil and acrylic), clay work, sculpture
Figurative work and still life
Color-driven, process-oriented studio practice
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Early exhibitions in New Mexico and Seattle Recently work shown at TCFA, Petrune Gallery and upcoming CAP Artspace
Related Experience & Skills
Extensive experience teaching and facilitating visual art engagement
Knowledge of historical and contemporary painting practices
Experience in museum, nonprofit, and cooperative art environments
Professional Interests
Long-term studio practice
Arts education and community engagement
Artist-led and cooperative exhibition models
Integration of making, teaching, and looking
Contact
- 607-227-3257
- andreajdm@gmail.com
- P.O. Box 13 Jacksonville 14854
6 Responses
Andrea is also an excellent photographerand was in a class I took at TC3. She appears to be very versatile and has a very special connection for much of our outresch. I think we need to look at much more than the art, but also how the candidates can fit into our programs. I definitely think she does!
Andrea Murray is an interesting applicant. She has had a lot of different mentors, and her work here shows the influence of perhaps her latest, Vince. I wonder what her work looked like when she studied with William Benson or Camille Doucette. She has a lot to offer the gallery by way of her professional work and connections. In terms of her art, maybe she is a novice. She does not mention how long she has been engaged in a painting practice, and I do not see any of her former work on line. She could surprise us by growing leaps and bounds since she cut down on her work hours to spend more time painting.
Don’t know why my reaction doesn’t match others’ so far… I could not find much pleasure in viewing these. Did she take classes from Vince, perhaps?. Several of her more complex compositions look like the arrangements he used to set up, and those were more interesting to me than the others.
I found the selection of paintings the Andrea presented at the gallery to be a bit uneven. Some I liked very much, while others seemed weak compositionally. But her experience sounds like she’d bring great things to our community. I look forward to our meeting with her in April.
I think this applicant shows a deep understanding of the art world with her museum work and education. Her still lifes are very vibrant and interesting and shows a great deal of confidence in her use of color and shape.
I think she could make a great addition.
Very pleasing work.
Andrea has extensive experience in K-12 art education. She. has been part of the education/outreach team at the Johnson Art Museum. Her skills in the community would enrich the gallery.