Before beginning his painting career, William Murray served in the Coast Guard on the Great Lakes and trapped lobster in Nova Scotia. Murray, who holds a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and an MFA from the University of Minnesota, was the fine arts instructor at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater from 1977 to 2003. In 2001 he was awarded first prize for his work in Artist Magazine’s landscape competition. William Murray passed away in November, 2024."It is difficult to make statements about so personal an endeavor as making art. I have always felt that the artist is a worker like anyone else. The more time you give to your chosen profession, the more confident you become. It is the entire process of making my art that pushes me forward. What I look for in other paintings or drawings, regardless of style or medium, is the process and the craftsmanship. I want to know and feel that the artist is highly skilled and pushes that skill. I feel that only then can the artist’s final effort be appreciated fully."