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Artist Profile
Artist Statement
"Capturing the fleeting beauty of life through still life paintings"
1974 -
(Born in Christchurch)
Jonette Murray is a self taught, disabled NZ artist who works primarily "from life" in her studio in the Wellington Region. She is best known for her well crafted still life oil paintings that explore the fleeting beauty of life, endurance, and living in the moment. She has had numerous sales nationally and internationally, holds frequent solo shows, participates in group shows, and has been a finalist in major art awards in New Zealand.
Jonette is a finalist for the upcoming Tasman National Art Awards 2024.
Recently she held a solo show “Glass Underfoot" at the regional art gallery Whirinaki Whare Taonga (Nov 2022-Feb 2023). Currently she is working on a new series of contemporary still life and figurative works, while further exploring and developing her style.
Jonette is a passionate full time artist who divides her time between painting, her husband and three children, and her ever expanding edible garden.
awards
Jonette has been a finalist in several art awards including:
- The Tasman National Art Awards 2024
- The Craig's Aspiring Art Prize 2024
- The Wellington Regional Arts Review 2022
- The Craig's Aspiring Art Prize 2022
- The Wellington Regional Arts Review 2021
- The Adam Portraiture Award 2020
- The Craig's Aspiring Art Prize 2020
- The Cleveland National Art Award 2019
- The Craig's Aspiring Art Prize 2019
- The Wellington Regional Art Review 2018
Her finalist painting "The still life artist" was selected as part of The Adam Portraiture Award 2020 New Zealand tour.
artist bio
Selected Exhibitions
- 2024 (Upcoming) Finalist exhibition - The Tasman National Art Awards - Mapua Tasman
- 2024 Group Show - The New Zealand Academy of Fine Art - Wellington
- 2024 - Finalist exhibition - Craig's Aspiring Art Prize - Wanaka
- 2023 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2022-2023 - SOLO SHOW - Glass underfoot - Whirinaki Whare Taonga Regional Art Gallery - Upper Hutt
- 2022 - Finalist Exhibition - The Wellington Regional Arts Review
- 2022 - Craig's Aspiring Art Prize finalist exhibition - Wanaka
- 2021 - Group show - The Artists Room Fine Art Gallery - Dunedin
- 2021 - Group Show - The New Zealand Academy of Fine Art - Wellington
- 2021 - Group Show - The NZAFA - Wellington
- 2020 - Wellington Regional Arts Review Finalist Exhibition - Upper Hutt
- 2020 - Upper Hutt Arts Trail - Chaplin's Picture Framing
- 2020 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2020 - JOINT SHOW with Gemma Campbell - 'Still Restless' - The Artists Room Fine Art Gallery - Dunedin
- 2020 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2020 - Selected for The Adam Portraiture Award N.Z Tour
- 2020 - The Adam Portraiture Award Finalist Exhibition - Wellington
- 2019 - Group show - NZAFA - Wellington
- 2019 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2019 - Works on paper group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2019 - Group show - NZAFA - Wellington
- 2019 - Group Show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2019 - Group show - NZAFA - Wellington
- 2019 - Special mention at the NZAFA group show - Wellington
- 2019 - The Cleveland National Art Award Finalist Exhibition - Dunedin
- 2019 - SOLO SHOW- ‘Composed’ - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2019 - Finalist Exhibition - The Craig's Aspiring Art Award - Wanaka
- 2018 - Group show - The Artists Room Fine - Dunedin
- 2018 - Red Cross Charity Art Auction - Dunedin
- 2018 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2018 - Wellington Regional Arts Review Finalist Exhibition - Upper Hutt
- 2018 - SOLO SHOW- The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2017 - Group show - The Artists Room - Dunedin
- 2017 - JOINT SHOW “Four on the Floor’’ - Expressions Whirinaki Regional Art Gallery - Upper Hutt
- 2005-2006 - Group show - Van Helden Gallery - Wellington
- 2001-2003 - Group shows at Article Gallery - Christchurch
Public Speaking
- 2023 - Opening night speech (to 150 guests) at Whirinaki Whare Taonga for 'Glass Underfoot'.
- 2023 - 2 hour Artist talk for 'Glass Underfoot ' at Whirinaki Whare Taonga Regional Art Gallery
- 2017- Artist talk for 'Four on the floor' at Expressions Regional Art gallery Upper Hutt
Press and Publications
- 2022 - Glass underfoot catalog
- 2022 - Arts editorial - Wellington Regional News
- 2019 - Review Otago Daily Times
- 2018 - Review Otago Daily Times
Memberships and representation
- Jonette is a member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
- Represented by The Artists Room Fine Art Gallery
Review
"Jonette Murray's impressive still life's are the subject of ''Composed'' at The Artist's Room. The artist has created a series of tableaux in which the individual elements have been composed so as to play off each other, in terms of position and colour. The works are beautifully created, the soft lighting and gentle reflected surfaces reminiscent of Flemish art of the 17th century, even though the artist's influences and tastes surprisingly veer towards more modern painting.
The still life's are generally restricted to a few items - fruit, butterflies, jugs - set against plain backgrounds. This allows for the relationship between the items to become a major point of focus, in terms of their position within the picture frame and the psychological interplay of the items. The relationship between colour and tone is also brought to the fore, especially in works such as These golden moments, with its rich golden pears, brass jug, and deep golden cream backdrop.
Several of the pieces bring to mind classical vanitas images, with antique utensils placed against the ephemeral lives of fruit and insects. This is emphasized in Elevation, where a burnt-out candle rests on a dog-eared book alongside a sickle, all traditional symbols of the too, too short nature of life."
14/03/19
Written by James Dignan for the Otago Daily Times