Murray Frederick - The Artist

Born in Sydney, Murray drew from as far back as he can recall then, rather than pursuing a more scholastic career following his matriculation, opted for a life of art and travel. He studied fine art at the National Art School at East Sydney, concentrating initially on painting, drawing and sculpture, then later etching and lithography before leaving to illustrate his first book, at age 19, a task that occupied a full year. He established his own etching and lithography studio in Berry Street, North Sydney, having restored and then utilised Norman Lindsay's etching press [now exhibited in the Lindsay Gallery in the Blue Mountains], before departing for South America and beyond in the early 70's. He continued his studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he lived for 6 years.

On his return to Australia he became a sought after illustrator for books and journals on flora and fauna, magazines and encyclopoedias.

An early and abiding interest in natural history has continued throughout his life and contributed greatly to the style and content of his present work, including a recent series of paintings of the “trompe d’oeil” genre which has been described as “visual haiku" because of the relative simplicity in their structure yet complexity in content. The physical detail of more recent compositions often remains cast within oriental perspective and subdued intricacies. He has had successful exhibitions in Australian galleries and has sold internationally for a number of years. These works concentrate on wildlife and the smaller, more detailed aspects of natural history intermingled and sometimes juxtaposed with the cultural heritages and traditions of many lands gleaned from years of travel.

He has worked with Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney in several capacities for many years, more recently as a wildlife painter and muralist Sydney and is represented there with a mural of a Malaysian Sun Bear in the new bear exhibit. As well, his large mural at the Yellow footed Rock Wallaby enclosure can be seen at the Western Plains Zoo.

He has received several awards and commendations, including Australian Geographic’s Award for Excellence, illustration of the Year 1996, a journal he had, until the early 2000's, contributed to on a regular basis since 1991. He has also illustrated many books over the years, including two that he has designed, illustrated and written himself, Evolution of Australia and the in-progress Marine Mammals of Australia. He is also writing his own book when he finds time from his painting, "Second Nature".

Traveling extensively throughout the world over the past 30 years, Murray has sought out sometimes remote and challenging areas off the beaten track, particularly in countries where wildlife is still found in abundance. Returning to Australia, Murray spent 9 years in the Blue Mountains and now lives in rainforest on the mid north coast of New South Wales where he has remained for the last 8 years.
He is presently working on a larger work, "Ten Thousand Tides" before commencing a series of six new 'travel vignette' paintings, "Opium", "The Call Within", "Nine-curved Bridge", "Spices", "Once Removed", and "Wine", along with several planned 'bird-and-flower' works, all of which he hopes to have completed by early 2011. These paintings, along with limited-edition prints of earlier paintings will be on exhibition at the Aanuka Beach resort, Coffs Harbour, from December 2010 through to February 2011.

These days he is fortunate enough to have the indefatigable Linda Pas de Lion [pictured below with her ever-faithful escort , the young Max] managing his affairs and leaving him with further time to complete future projects.

"The Beauty of nature lies in detail; the Message in generality"

"I cannot separate the aesthetic pleasure of seeing a butterfly and the scientific pleasure of knowing what it is."

GALLERIES, PUBLICATIONS, EXHIBITIONS
AND COLLECTIONS

  • The Australian Geographic Journal
  • Lilanfels (Wentworth Falls)
  • Hilton Hotel (Sydney)
  • Gallery at The Wentworth (Sydney)
  • Morpeth Galleries
  • Beuowulf Galleries (Sydney)
  • Gallery Lane (Leura)
  • Gallery Cafe (Bellingen)
  • Dorrigo Galleries
    Lake Russell Gallery, Coffs Harbour
    Bare Bones Gallery, Bangalow
  • Targonga Park Zoo
  • Western Plains Zoo
  • Private Collections : USA, UK, Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Australia, New Zealand

The Winding Path

1947 Born Waverley, Sydney
1952-64 Educated at The Scots College, Bellevue Hill, Sydney
1965 Attends The National Art School, Fine Arts
1966 Illustrates Carl Bliss' book "Semantography"
1967 Travels through Indonesian Archipelago, via New Guinea and Timor
1968 Studies painting, drawing and printmaking, National Art School.
1969 Works at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney as laboratory assistant and zoo
artist.
1970-71 Travels throughout inland Australia. Establishes printmaking studio,
North Sydney.
1972 Departs by sea to Panama, via the Pacific Islands, Central and South
America, the Caribbean, to North America.
1973-78 Lives and works in New York City. Studies drawing and painting, School
of Visual Arts.
1978-80 Travels overland, via the Iberian Peninsula. North Africa, Italy, Greece,
the Middle East, Central Asia, the Subcontinent, and South-east Asia.
1980-84 Commences work as a freelance illustrator in Sydney, for magazines,
journals, and books. travels twice to Hong Kong, Macau, and China.
1984-90 Departs for Macau and then seven months throughout Mainland China
and Tibet. Lives and works in Korea and Japan for over two years
before being employed as a wildlife guide by the Japanese publishing
company Kodansha through inland Australia, from Adelaide to Kakadu.
Returns briefly to Japan before setting out, via China, for the Northwest
United States, New York, before embarking on a year or so's journey
through South America, Patagonia, the Galapagos, then Cuba and the
Former Soviet Union. Continues via the Middle East, on to East and
Central Africa, Madagascar, before returning to Australia.
1990-2010 Recommences work as an illustrator, concentrating on wildlife
and botanical illustrations. Employed on a freelance basis by
journal Australian Geographic where he receives the 1997
Award for excellence in Illustration. Lives in the Blue
Mountains where he continues illustrating and working on two
of his own books, "Evolution of Australia" and "Marine
Mammals of Australia". Employed as zoo muralist for Taronga.
Curtails his illustration work in order to concentrate on painting.
Mounts successful solo exhibitions before moving to the
sub-tropical Mid-north Coast in 2002.