IN SEARCH OF THE BEAUTIFUL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 60

IN SEARCH OF THE BEAUTIFUL.

A CHAT WITH MR DAVID MURRAY,

Few painters are so closely wedded to their art as Mr David Murray, a sight of whose superb landscapes is the next best thing to having a breath of fresh country air itself. Mr Murray is a specialist in all that is most lovely in Nature, and when I spent a recent hour at his studio (writes a representative of Cassell's Saturday Journal) I took the opportunity of persuading him to tell me something about his unique methods of transferring beautiful scenery to canvas. " I make a point of residing about six months out of every 12 in the country," Mr Murray, remarked, "and I paint all my pictures, even the big ones, on the spot. No, I never camp out. Early in my career I lived exclusively in tents and huts. When I was working in the Outer Hebrides, for instance, I cooked my own food and baked my own bread for six months at a time. But I have long since abandoned this practice. It is essential that an artist should paint under the best conditions j>ossible, and not undertake more troubles than he is subjected to by the elements themselves.

" I have accordingly provided myself with a movable wooden hut, which can be easily taken to pieces, and in which my pictures are now painted. It is a substantial structure, 10ft in length and 9ft in height. When I have selected a scene for a picture, I send the hut on by train or van, and employ the local carpenter to erect it for me. " One side of the hut is built entirely of glass, and as it opens I am practically out of doors the whole day through, withoiit any of the open-air worries. Open-air painting is a weariness to the flesh. One diabolical evil from which an artist suffers when painting out of doors is the midge. There's no finding him until he's jompleted his operations ; and, wriggling through your knickerbocker stockings, he can render you absolutely raw. " Again, supposing you have a large wet surface. After you have expended minute pains on it, and are just congratulating yourself on your achievement, the midges settle on the canvas, and in the twinkling of an eye make it look like a piece of wellpatronised fly-paper. " But the midge," continued Mr Murray, drawing a painful sigh, " commits most havoc when he selects the most delicate part of your sky for acrobatic exercise. He gets caught by the tip of his wing, and in trying to extricate himself describes a series of circles, and finally leaves a mark which cannot be obliterated. It is subtly done, but very effective. If you have a rough surface a visit from a bumblebee doesn't so much matter, but if your texture is smooth, you don't want a midge to assist you." " May I inquire if you have ever been accused of trespassing with your huut?" " I sometimes meet with unpleasant people. At a place in Scotland this year, just as the hut had been put up, the factor, with four men, jumped in upon me and demanded its instant removal or destruction. A terrific row ensued, and in the end the factor insisted on my writing him formal letters asking leave to paint on his land, although he was there to answer them. " But I never make use of a man's property without obtaining his sanction, and the reason of this disturbance was that I had sought permission from the wrong source.

" By the bye, on one occasion my but was nearly burnt out of existence. It was placed at the very point of the river Don in Scotland where poachers are busiest. Now it so happened that when my hut was being erected a report gained currency to the effect that a new water inspector was about to appear on the scene in order to suppress the poaching, and one day when I arrived at the hut on my bicycle I discovered. %

couple of fellows busily preparing to bum it down — the fire was already alight — under the impression that it was intended for the hateful official. My language was extremely rapid and very forcible, but luckily I was in time to save my belongings, though I didn't get the fire iinder until I was half suffocated. The two incendiaries were obliging enough to help me, and I never in my life saw two men more surprised than they were Avhen I gave them a cigar apiece for their trouble."

" How do the natives of the outlandish, places into which you penetrate regard you, Mr Murray? "

" Their views are a trifle original. I recollect a very old-fashioned countrywoman asking me to paint her portrait. 1 told her that I was too busy, upon which she assured me with the greatest solemnity that she had ' been round to the cottages and could get me orders for a dozen.' I was to furnish, a dozen portraits at eighteenpence apiece !

" One of my quaintest experiences was this. Having almost finishd a picture at a spot miles away from where I was staying, I was loth to carry it home, so I called at a farmhouse for the purpose of leaving ife there for the night. My knock was answered by a wonderfully beautiful servant girl, with whom I confess that I was immensely struck. She consented to take care of my canvas, and the following day, on approaching the farm to fetch my picture, I was thinking how delightful it would be to see that girl again. To my disappointment, however, the door was opened by an old lady. Well, I sadly retraced my steps, looking in vain about the farmyard for the handsome maiden, and then my interest in my work overcame me, and I put it down against a wall to examine it. At the first glance I could make nothing whatever of it, and placing it in another position, I saw to my horror that it was all of one tint. The consequence was I had to begin it all over again. That evening I paid a secosd visit to the farm ; but there Avere still no signs of the beautiful girl, and I was received once more by the old lady.

" ' I want you to know,' I observed in handing her the canvas, ' I want you to know that the paint is wet.' Wet, she said. ' 00, aye, you're a good lad. Oor girl was that vexed to see the flies sticking to it that she dusted it, and ' — this in a voice full of tears — ' bit, lor, she spoilt a' her duster!'

" This reminds me of a picture I did in Picardjr. Having exhausted my stock of canvas, -I got a carpenter to mount one of my handkerchiefs on a stretcher. This clone, I painted my subject on it, and the picture was afterwards exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, where it attracted the notice of a lady and her daughter, who expressed a desire to buy it. Before disposing of the work, however, I thought ifc advisable to explain to the lady that it was painted on my pocket-handkerchief. Immediately on hearing this, the daughter exclaimed :

"' On your pocket-handkerchief? Then I'm sure you've ruined it, Mr Murray. It'll never come out ! ' "

" How is a landscape really painted, Mr Murray? " " Contrary to "general supposition, a landscape is not necessarily the exact reproduction of a scene. There is an impression that a 'landscape painter's eye is a photographic lens. This is not so. To take my own case. If a scene suits my requirements, all well and good ; but very often I utilise " a scene merely to aid me to give effect to an idea. More frequently than not, I paint the scene before me as faithfully as I can, after which I alter it until it becomes whafc I consider to be the most beautiful rendering of the scene. That is to say, I paint it accurately first of all, and then edit my accurate facts, omitting something here ana there, perhaps, and finally producing the figure I had in my mind." It is interesting to note, in view of Mr Murray's brilliant success, that he was originally engaged in commerce. ' I was 11 years in business before I was able to devote all my time to art," .he told me, " and during this long period I had to do all my painting in the early hours of the morning and late at night." " And how did you like business? " "It was a nightmare to me, and," the famous artist added, "it is an occasional nightmare still.