Artist of the Month - May 2008 - Leyla Murr

Welcome to our Artist of the Month feature for May, and congratulations to Leyla Murr for being our selected artist.

Hi Leyla - can you tell us a little about yourself, and how you got started as an artist?

I grew up in Croatia and moved to London at the age of 19 to learn English and absorb the culture. 15 years later I moved to Yorkshire where I live today with my husband , my son and a cat. I started painting professionally three years ago when I realised that life is too short to waste and it is ok to follow your dream.

As a child I wasn’t aware that I was doing something special. I just got immersed in creating images on paper. It was only after my family and teachers noticed my paintings and awarded me that I began to think and recognise art as something I would like to do.

Art is something very private for me. It is an activity that constitutes part of my existence. It is something that I have to do to keep going in order to maintain the equilibrium and sanity.

What are you favourite subjects to paint?

Before I start on a piece I look at my numerous tubes of paint and choose colours. I play around with shades and complimentaries before I just go for it. I don’t really have a preconceived idea , I just follow the mood of the day. Often the painting , after it is finished, will tell me what I was feeling and what mood I was in. The process is entirely on a subconscious level. What is exciting about the outcome is that I as a creator become an observer and discover my own creations.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, or for those new to art?

You need confidence and a balance between your inner critic and your instinct for creativity. Find yourself someone who believes in you and is willing to back you up at all times. Always look forward to where you want to be. Dare to dream and imagine yourself standing on a stage or having your work in top galleries in the world. Don’t ever put yourself down. And above all: just paint as often as you can because you yourself are your best teacher.

What do you hope people see in your work?

I basically need for my paintings to be seen and experienced on an emotional level. Ideally I would like a viewer to find something in them that they cannot explain, some attraction that is pleasing and engaging of which they cannot let go.

The painting needs to speak to the viewer the minute they see it. I have testimonials from buyers who confirm that feeling and that is very pleasing for me because I want my paintings to have happy homes! I hope that people feel energized when they see my work, that my work may evoke a positive memory for them and for them to resonate with the colours that I use in my designs, as colour in my work is very important to me.

Who are your favourite artists or photographers, and are there any works in particular which have inspired you?

There are too many to mention here but Picasso is one my all time favourites: I like his work and his philosophy: he didn’t like working to predicted outcome. We live quite well with uncertainty and it is important to me that my artistic explorations honour that through the spontaneous process. As Picasso said: ”If it is known exactly what it is going to be, why do it?” He also said something which is so typical of the great guy “ Art is an application of a canon of beauty but what the instincts and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs” Pablo Picasso.

I also like Paul Klee, Robert and Sonia Delauanay, Mark Rothko, Lucian Freud for his flesh colours and form. Often I see emerging artists who produce work of genius and I just stand there staring, speechless.

What painting, photograph or work of art do you wish you had produced?

Again, too many to mention here. Figurative work constitutes fundamental in training hand-eye coordination. I regularly go to life drawing classes with Yorkshire artist Doug Binder who is a master in this form. His nudes are exquisite and a recent one named “Morning” appeals to me. He paints in oil using artist’s knife on canvas and it is such a joy being in his company and watch him mix colours and layer paint to achieve the likeness to the model.

Apart from your portfolio at artfair365.co.uk, how do you promote your work - are you a member of any societies, and do you have any exhibitions planned?

I am a member of SAA and a local KAF (Keighley Art Factory) Keighley, West Yorkshire and my work is displayed on many online galleries. I use my website a lot www.leylamurr.com and have sold a number of paintings through both avenues. I keep a list of “admirers” and send them regular updates. I have work in galleries all over UK and apart from two solo exhibitions planned in August and September in Wakefield, West Yorkshire I have been invited to show work in Brick Lane, London and Cesi Palace, Acquasparta, Italy .

I have just today sold two paintings to customers in Ohio, USA and New York, USA and am planning to join a gallery in New York. I have my own website and promote my work from there, I also have a large client base so I regularly send updates of my new work, news & exhibitions in the form of a newsletter; this has proved to be very popular and has produced continued repeat business for me. I also have a blog which people can subscribe to. I am regularly asked to submit work to home interiors magazines which has been great exposure for my work. I am a member of the SAA (The Society for All Artists). I have several exhibitions planned for 2008; all with private art galleries - no dates have been confirmed as yet though.

From your own portfolio, which are your favourite 3 artworks?

Some paintings are more special then others. I like Inclusion II, Marina and Sunburst. Inclusion II is a figurative painting which was created spontaneously from within. Marina is more of an impressionistic abstract painting evocative of balmy summer nights by the Adriatic sea and Sunburst is full of hope and yearning for warmth and sunshine, painted on a rainy morning in Yorkshire!

Click here to view Leyla's portfolio.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for April - Jean Dayton.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for March - Victoria Stanway.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for February - Patrick Palmer.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for January - Caren Thompson.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for December - Simon Wild.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for November - Sally Bassett.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for October - Bill Jackson.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for September - Maureen Greenwood.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for August - Cinzia Castellano.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for July - John Bird.

Click here to view our Artist of the Month for June - Anthony Caruana.