Richard Murray's Live-Work Art Studio

Richard Murray is an established wildlife painter living in Eastern Oregon. His home sits on a gorgeous swath of acreage near the Snake River where birds of prey, deer, cougars and a host of other wild animals roam free. His home is a nature preserve. It also serves as a continual source of inspiration for his paintings.

On New Year's Day, I had the opportunity to visit Richard's home and photograph his studio. I'll be returning in the spring to photograph it for publication, but I wanted to share some of my winter photos with you here. Richard's home was designed as a massive studio space to accommodate his large pieces. Living quarters are tucked seamlessly into the front end of the space, facing the nature preserve.

Walking into his home is like walking into a cathedral - not only the scope of the space, but also the scope of the art. One immediately feels a sense of holy work. Richard is a gracious man and a master of his art. Each of his animal portraits are painted to scale, meaning that his tit-mouse is the size of a tit-mouse and his water buffalo is the size of a water buffalo. The viewer has a sense of greeting the animal as you would in life - soul to soul. It is an astonishing sensation.

Stay tuned for another look at Richard's home this coming May.

The house will be in full bloom and I'll have an interview with the artist himself!