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Welcome
In
my art I strive to depict a joyous, though complex world of
the spirit that exists beyond our conscious awareness. I explore
concepts that have importance in my life with the hope these
ideas will be important to others also. I seek to communicate
my visions and I use familiar symbolism derived from both
the Old and the New Testaments to express my ideas. As an
artist, I most often work in series, which I define as a group
of work that explores one primary idea. My faith and the wisdom
of the Bible form the core of what I share through my art.
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My
Book
In
1978 a seventy-year-old black farm worker in rural Glascock County,
Georgia, received what he believed to be a call from God. Though
unable to read or write, J. B. Murray began to draw and paint flowing
abstractions under what he understood to be the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. Over the next ten years, Murray created paintings of
ghostly figures and elogated shapes that represented "the people
what is living like God don't exist." By the time of his death in
1988, Murray's work had been shown in art galleries all over the
world, from Atlanta, Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles to
London and Tokyo.
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How an illiterate
farm worker in rural Georgia rose to become an artist of international
acclaim is the story of In the Hand of the Holy Spirit: The Visionary
Art of J. B. Murray. It tells Murray's fascinating story and analyzes
his art and spiritual message. Throughout history the visionary artist
has sought to offer a glimpse of the eternal in the midst of a temporal
world. This book unveils the symbols, impetus, and meaning of Murray's
art. I tell how this fascinating folk artist expressed his perceptions
of eternity and offered a redemptive metaphor for spiritual healing, regeneration,
and ultimate salvation. The book won the award, Georgia Author of the
Year 2000 in the Category Biography.
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