Today, we’d like to introduce you to Charissa Murray.
Hi Charissa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
When I was a little girl, I remember watching my dad paint and thinking that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. My father was an incredibly talented artist, having attended Woodruff School in Atlanta at 14. Having that talent in my life at such a young age inspired me to be creative. We moved to Tybee Island in the early ’90s, and I attended the “Old” Savannah High in the late ’90s and was in the art magnet program, which is where I fell in love with painting.
We did the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling and walls of the art room when I was 14 years old. After high school, I kind of stepped away from art for some years while I traveled around, ending up in Chicago in 2001, and that was where I started painting again. I was primarily working with acrylics until 2003, when I first experimented with oils and fell in love. After having my daughter in 2004, we moved back to Tybee. With a little one, it’s really hard to paint, especially with oils and the chemicals involved. However, I did manage to do my first show in 2007 at the Irene Sullivan Gallery, which was a great experience. I stopped painting after that for quite a few years and focused on my career.
I started working for my family’s company, DeVivo Marketing, which handles a lot of the marketing for Tybee along with multiple publications, web design, graphic design, etc., and have been at it for the last 16 years, plus still painting off and on. So, moving into the pandemic…. lol. I had a bit of a mental breakdown (who didn’t), and that’s when I made the decision to never stop painting again. Starting in January of 2021, I quit watching TV and picked up the brushes for relaxation.
My life is a bit crazy. I am still working my day job, plus I am the Tybee Festival Association President, which produces the Pirate Festival, and I sit on the Main Street Tybee – Development Authority Board as the secretary. In 2022, I met my business partner, Kelly Jones, and we dreamed up the Tybee Tour de Art produced through the Tybee Arts Association, launching it in the fall. That’s been going strong for two years now.
This past December, one of the artist cottages opened up at The Shops at Tybee Oaks across from Huc-a-poos, and Kelly and I jumped on it. As if I needed another job… lol. Our store opened March 1 of this year and that’s where we are now.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When is life not a struggle… hahaha. One of my biggest struggles has been being a single mom while trying to work my day job, paint, and just live life. Currently, I am balancing a ton of things, but you know the saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s tools.” Keeping busy keeps me outta trouble.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, I am a self-taught oil painter, working on wood, canvas, and glass. I guess I would be best known for my coastal landscapes, that or my grump birds. Growing up on the islands I have been exposed to our marshes for over 30 years, they never get old.
This area of the country is so beautiful. Who wouldn’t want to capture its beauty? As for the birds, I just love them. The grumpier the bird the more I love it, ostriches, emus, peacocks, crows and ravens are my favorites. What sets me apart? I would say my use of color is that I go for super bright colors, with orange being my favorite.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
If you’re an artist looking to start showing check out the Tybee Tour de Art, we’re always looking for new people. If you’d like to support me, stop by our shop, Sea Salt Ceramics & Charissa Murray Art, at The Shops at Tybee Oaks, 1213 US Hwy 80 Suite A, Tybee Island, GA 31328.
Contact Info:
- Website: charissamurray.com
- Instagram: @cha.rissam
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharissaMurrayArt
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charissamurray/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharissaM
Image Credits
Wen McNally Photography
