Private: San Murata

About the Artist:

San Murata has been painting daily for the past thirty years. In his studio he paints scenes from everyday life, depicted in a folk art style “with a twist.” San’s inimitable colour sense and style convey a truly magical spirit of place. He has travelled through rural Ontario, Quebec and across both the Maritimes and West Coast in Canada, as well as the mountains and forests around Kumamoto, Japan. His influences include Krieghoff, Grandma Moses, Hokusai, Utamaro, Matisse and Raoul Dufy.

“When you paint every day, you are there. When the gift of clarity on the canvas or surface reveals the dream, then the inner vision becomes outward expression. This is a lonely job, being there, working with the materials, investing imagination, love and feelings the painting comes to life, and I feel joy.” San Murata is represented by Engine Fine Art, Wallace Gallery (Calgary) and Art Emporium (Vancouver) in Canada and Art Gallery Motokawa and the Gunjo Gallery in Japan. He has had exhibitions at the Japan Foundation in Toronto, Hannabi Gallery in Tokyo, Yamagataya Gallery in Kagoshima, and Spazio Gallery in Toronto.