James Austin Murray

2007, 41"x48" approx., acrylic and graphite on canvas mounted on polystyrene

James Austin Murray has been painting professionally since graduating from Parsons in 1992.

He went on to work at Bergdorf-Goodman doing the window displays and it was during this time he began showing in the East Village.

He lived and painted in Slovakia during the period of time when it separated from Czechoslovakia.

Upon his return he worked at Bloomberg LLC. developing TV Graphics and Animations. Then moved on to join the Fire Department of New York and worked for 12 years as a firefighter.

During his time as a firefighter he opened and ran a commercial gallery in Tribeca (Hartnett-Murray, later called Markham-Murray, closed in 2001). He continued painting his own work and also taught a class at Parsons School of Design.

In 2007 he left the FDNY and is now pursuing his artwork full time.