Roberta Murray
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robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Roberta Murray
@robertamurrayart.bsky.social
780 followers 470 following 810 posts
🇨🇦 Vive Le Canada!
I make pictures. Paint, pencil, pixels.
Lover of dogs, birds, nature, laughter & tea. Believer in kindness, inclusivity & science. Rebel. Unapologetically Anti-conservative.
No NFT’s No DM’s
https://RobertaMurray.com
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robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Just in time for #bannedbooksweek my little free library is open for business. The 2 @margaretatwood.bsky.social books have already been claimed.

Yes, I changed 1 of the pillows after reading about libraries with political messaging being vandalized.
Photo of a little free library cabinet with a cute illustration and lettering which says Books & Biscuits with a dog paw print. Side view of a little free library with an illustration of a young girl sitting under a tree and a quote about reading helping a person learn empathy. The other side of the little free library with an illustration of a poodle reading Animal Farm to its friends; the fox and hare.
October 7, 2025 at 11:57 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
So I posted my sketches I’ll be using for my free library to Insta, & said I’m doing it because of governments attacks on literature. I guess they must be suppressing the post because no one is seeing it. What a bunch of fucking Nazi’s.
Ink sketches to be placed on the sides of a free library featuring controversial books. One sketch is a young girl sitting under a tree reading a book, with the Malorie Blackman quote: “Reading is an exercise in empathy, an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for awhile.”. The other sketch shows soldiers & children by a pile of burning books. A poodle is pulling a book out of the fire. A quote by Heinrich Heine in 1821 is written on a ribbon banner: “Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.” #sketch #resistenceart
September 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Innocence - Digital illustration
Read a passage of Oliver Goldsmith’s The Deserted Village in alt tag.
#Bookcoverillustration #illustration #womenwhodraw #artlicensing
Etching style illustration of a young girl in a blue frock with a straw hat looking in wonder at a bluebird in a simple garden. “Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain, Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain, Where smiling spring its earliest visits paid, And parting summer’s lingering blooms delayed: Dear lovely bowers of innocence and ease, Seats of my youth, where every sport could please, How often have I loitered o’er your green, Where humble happiness endeared each scene; How often have I paused on every charm, The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm, The never-failing brook, the busy mill, The decent church that topped the neighbouring hill, The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade, For talking age and whispering lovers made; How often have I blessed the coming day, When toil remitting lent its turn to play, And all the village train, from labour free, Led up their sports beneath the spreading tree.” - Oliver Goldsmith
August 18, 2025 at 4:32 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Red Princess - Digital painting

I have returned to doing bookcover illustrations. This piece is available for #licensing from Arcangel licensing.arcangel.com/asset-manage...
A painterly digital illustration of a woman with long red wavy hair. She is wearing an off the shoulder white gown and a fancy floral headpiece. #figurativeart #digitalart #redhead #bookcoverart
August 15, 2025 at 11:19 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Painterly Peonies.
A painterly impressionist photograph of a floral bouquet with pink peonies. #photography #painterlyphoto #floralphotography
August 5, 2025 at 3:02 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
“Underwater Red” will be 1 of the limited edition illustrations newly arrived at Art Interiors. Museum quality pigments print on velvet fine art paper Edition 2 of 5. Grab it while you can!

Not listed on website yet but you can call/email the gallery.

www.artinteriors.ca/artists/robe...
Digital illustration of a red head woman swimming underwater with red bathing suit and turquoise background. #limitededition #canadianart #illustration
July 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
A fresh new shipment of paintings & illustrations are winging their way to Art Interiors in Toronto. Including the whimsical 8x10” figurative oil painting titled Rope Swing.

We need non-serious art for these heavy times.
A whimsical figurative oil painting of a woman in a red bikini with a yellow swim cap swinging on a rope over the ocean. #oilpainting #canadianart #figurativeart #whimsicalpainting
July 21, 2025 at 1:53 AM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Sing Soft And Low
Texture layered painterly photograph of a pink magnolia blossom. #photography #floral #flower
July 15, 2025 at 7:34 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
I'm on a 48 hour no activity rest, so catching up on photo processing. This was a Magnolia tree from our spring trip to Sidney, BC.

I bit the bullet and enrolled in the floral design class. Wish me luck in being able to find the supplies needed to do it!

"Our Strength Is Softness"
Romantic impressionist photograph of white Magnolia blossoms in spring. #photography #floralphotography #CanadianArt
July 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
A lot of my previous photography subjects have kind of dried up since moving to the city. I no longer have the diversity of birds & wildlife we did living in the country. But flowers are better.

I am considering taking some floral design classes for my photography.
A Delicate Bloom - macro photograph of a pink Hollyhock flower with a slice of sunlight on the bottom petals. #floralphotography #photography #flowers
July 13, 2025 at 2:25 AM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
We sure do!
A large black bear standing in a mountain meadow. #photography #canadianwildlife #blackbear
July 6, 2025 at 6:28 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
You know what a rainy day is good for? Forcing my arse back to the easel. I wanted to paint the chaos I feel inside but ended up with this.
Pink Peonies 8x10” Oil
A abstracted floral painting with pink peonies. Oil on panel 8x10” by Canadian artist Roberta Murray There are various shades of green with pink flower forms. #art #oilpainting #floralpainting
June 21, 2025 at 9:04 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Seen out in the wilds. Actually my daughter dragged me to Indigo to show me this book, which features my illustration, was part of Reese Witherspoon's book club picks.
A display of paperback books at an Indigo book store featuring the books from Reese's Book Club. An arrow points to the book The Three Lives Of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, which is a red cover with an illustration of broken trio of woman's eyes in a rearview car mirror.
June 6, 2025 at 5:24 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
The cherry tree is blooming! We planted it last summer & were told it may not bloom for a few years. So I am thrilled to see blossoms on the tree this year. 🤞 we get a few cherries!
#photography #floral
Photograph of white cherry blossoms against a soft pink background. Image has a shallow depth of field with blurred petals and a texture layer creating a soft, dreamy image.
May 14, 2025 at 10:22 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Puddle Jumper

Had a week off in Victoria/Sidney. I am wiped but have a bunch of new photos to play around with; as well as a bunch of catching up to do on everything else. My head is still on island time soaking up the sun and sea air.

#birdphotography
An American crow standing in a shallow creek with rocks and a lone leaf. The black bird stands out against the greyed oranges and greens of the water. #Canadianphotographer #womenphotographers
April 17, 2025 at 9:17 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Angel Can Fly 16x20” Oil on canvas

This painting is 11 years old and still sits in my studio. It’s been listed for sale but I’ve never pushed too hard to sell it because it’s one of the favourite paintings I’ve ever done.

To me it represents the determined spirit of indigenous people & women.
An oil painting of a First Nations woman in regalia dancing at a powwow. Her shawl makes her raised arms appear like wings. The painting is very loose with abstracted background. #oilpainting #canadianart #womeninart #figurativeart
April 8, 2025 at 10:49 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
The swans are back!!!! A pair flew right over the house just now. It was their distinctive call that alerted me through the open office window.

J'adore le printemps!

Swan Song - Digital Illustration
Swan Song Digital illustration of a woman leaning backwards being entwined in an embrace with a white swan.The woman has dark hair and a dark dress. The background grass is a dark olive green and the sky is a soft coral.
April 4, 2025 at 9:58 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
I know I’m supposed to keep on making art, to create the visuals to voice my thoughts or give people some beauty to rest their eyes & mind upon for a minute, to allow them a break from the turmoil of the world today. But I can’t seem to get beyond my own fears.
On Guard: an antique toy lead British soldier party hidden in shadows. What is he fighting? What is he defending? When will we be required to join him? #photography #moodyphoto #toysoldier
March 29, 2025 at 3:47 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
THIS is what makes Canada great. THIS is what sets us apart from the brutal regimes of the world (cough Maga).

I hope some day this man is able to lead the entire country. #WabKinew

View full clip here:

vm.tiktok.com/ZMBS8fuhb/
March 22, 2025 at 11:14 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
The Alberta Motor Association (CAA equivalent) has a full page ad for Kentucky. Well, here's what I think of that.
(Couldn't read the article in your link, but there is not a hope in hell of convincing me to visit their communist country.)
#HellNoWeWillNotGo
March 16, 2025 at 10:28 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Has anyone ever moved from professional artist to hobbyist? If so, how did you do it? This is on my mind as I sit here trying to get organized to do my taxes, & am reminded of how much I hate the paperwork that comes with this as a business.
But procrastination made my process a new painting photo.
Unwashed Sky 8x10" Oil on panel "And the unwashed sky, and drowsy waves; And above the shore far away The reed bends like a drunk Without a wind. My dear Lord! Will it still be long for me To yearn for the world In this unlocked prison Above this wretched sea? In the steppes The yellowed grass does not speak, It is silent and bends as though it were alive; It does not want to disclose the truth, But there is no one else to ask." - Taras Shevchenko #oilpainting #CanadianArt #skypainting #artist #art
March 16, 2025 at 10:19 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
We have to quit believing in this kind of rhetoric. There’s a lot of money pouring into dis-information campaigns to pit Canadians against each other & try to destabilize our democracy. We must keep kicking at the attacks & fighting back against it by not amplifying & reposting.
To get a false Casus Belli, Trump would likely dump massive amounts of money into fringe political groups. One of them is Wexit, a group that wants Western Canada, particularly the oil-rich provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to split and join the USA. Groups such as these, under the guidance of the Republican party via clandestine pathways operated by the CIA, could receive tens of millions of dollars to fund a nationwide information warfare campaign to give the appearance that there are a large majority of Canadians who want to leave and join the USA. Elon Musk would likely dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to this ridiculous idea. Coupled with a massive international social media attack, the confusion would be enough to give Trump cover that he was “rescuing” the Canadian people from an extremist liberal autocratic government. Dozens of false polls would cover the truth and drown out opposition.
March 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
Captain Vancouver planning his strategy with a little help from our friends.
#elbowsup
Illustration showing an eagle with military hat overseeing an army strategy board with British guards and Canadian Mounties.
March 13, 2025 at 2:13 AM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
My mood today.

Dear World: Could we not do this thing we’re currently doing? Could we not embrace the hateful rhetoric & intolerance driven by foreign enemies? Could we not ignite WW3? Could we all unite politically & morally to live in peace? Could we stamp out hatred?

Grief - digital painting
A woman buries her face in her hands, overcome with grief. It is a digital #procreate painting, partially unfinished with just line drawing indicating the figure. The background is a rough greenish brown colour, with warm blacks in the clothing and hairs; and yellow to orange flesh tones creating a classic old world feeling. #digitalart #CanadianArt #artist
March 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
robertamurrayart.bsky.social
After reading Like War I have tried to educate people about this, but people either don't believe it or don't care. I'm not sure which. This was a little poster I did awhile ago about it. The book was published in 2018, so the data is 25 years old. The $$ & number are much greater now.
March 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM