Today we’d like to introduce you to Murray Bolesta.
Hi Murray, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My early start with art photography was in my teens. I was misdirected away from that path by an irrational concern about having a conventional business career. Much later an opportunity arose to relocate to Arizona, a place where I could set free my artistic ambitions. Nature and colorful culture inspire my pictures, and Arizona has plenty of that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I began selling my images in 2004 via notecards and there was an immediate demand for them. I was pleased to start making modest inroads from the beginning. I also published and moved into print sales. As time went on, I reached somewhat higher plateaus. The constant struggle has always been to climb steeply to much higher elevations.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I sell art prints, both open edition, and limited edition, mainly through the internet. I also license images through art representatives. When you’re a photo artist of my generation, it’s a cliche to credit Ansel Adams with inspiration. But that’s the way it is for me. I share much of his aesthetic, his conservation ethos, and even his original background as a pianist. And I lived in his town when he was still alive, and I met my wife there, even though I never met him.
In art, a lot of folks conform to the “industry”: art schools and gatekeepers and a set process which is a grind but crucial for most artist success. The industry tells you to create a brand, something unique, something to lift you above the fray. But in my case, my brain doesn’t work that way. I have broad, eclectic interests, and it shows in my pictures.
My image styles and subjects are diverse: all over the map. They celebrate our natural and cultural heritage. My goal, overall, is for my images to be compelling and impeccable. Therefore my brand is simply my name.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage, the genius output of the nature of humankind. And also restoring some of what’s been lost. My goal is to produce compelling images that help others feel the same way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.murraybolesta.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murraybolesta/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MurrayBolestaFAP/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9B4RZFcHDc
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/murraybolesta
