Photography by Mike Murray

Public Reception: February 9th 1pm-3pm at The River Arts Center (105-9th St)
Exhibit: January 24-March 2 in the River Arts Center lobby

Mike Murray is a freelance photographer specializing in landscape and nature. As a self-taught photographer, student and avid reader who is absolutely passionate about his work, twenty five years of photography developed into serious pursuit during the past five years. His goal is to create photographs that capture the beauty and mystery of the Wisconsin outdoors while continuing a never-ending quest for artistic development and the exploration of new techniques.

The term “field photographer” epitomizes his work as an extension of his love for the natural wonder of Wisconsin’s landscapes and the wildlife that inhabit it. You can usually find him shooting in the early mornings and late evenings while hiking through wooded areas, scaling rocky bluffs, pursuing wildlife, and any place where there is water.

Mike has received several “Best in Show” awards at art shows across the state and his photograph “Loon Surfacing” which took Second Place honors in a worldwide competition that received over 11,000 photographs has also won numerous awards. The loon picture is featured in a newly published edition of the world’s largest bird encyclopedia, The Handbook of Birds of the World.

Mike currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, but spends much of his time from April to October at his family’s cottage on North Sand Lake located in Burnett County in northwestern Wisconsin.

You can view his work or contact him through his website at:

mmurray.zenfolio.com

“My intent is to take the viewer to a place where they may have been, but may not have realized the beauty that surrounded them. I am inspired by the sounds and sensations of solitude and prefer traveling and shooting alone while searching for places off the beaten path. I find that the peacefulness of isolation brings me closer to the landscapes and wildlife being captured, allowing me to reflect on the experience of…seeing.”

-Mike Murray

-This exhibit is sponsored by Wisconsin River Bank.

The River Arts Center Gallery is open to the public on school days from 8:00am -8:00pm. Summer hours are 8:00am-3:00pm Monday through Thursday and Friday 8:00am - Noon. In addition to hosting art exhibitions, the gallery also holds meetings and performances. Please check the calendar or call 608-643-5906 to see if it is being used before you visit. Please enter through the high school main entrance (E-1) during schools hours or the RAC garden entrance (E-3) across from the garden on the North side of the RAC after school. If you would like a guided tour of the gallery, you may schedule a docent through info@RiverArtsInc.org.