Jim Murray’s Art for the Wye

The actor, artist and activist Jim Murray is selling some extraordinary paintings which he made in collaboration with the River Wye - and he's kindly offering to donate a share of those profits to Friends of the River Wye.

Murray's collection of paintings, called 'Creatures of Light', aims to raise awareness of the plight of the endangered wild Atlantic salmon in rivers across the UK.

Pre-dyed canvases were sunk in targeted Atlantic salmon rivers during spawning season, allowing the river to shape and colour the work however she chose, before the canvases were retrieved a few months later. Using mixed media, various messages were subtly imposed on the canvases to help the river in question get her narrative across.

The aim is for the project to bring as much awareness as possible to the plight of the salmon (the UK’s ‘black rhino’), and also the current challenges our rivers face, through this deeply original artistic partnership with nature.

Murray's six Wye paintings, taken from his canvas sunk in the Wye, have hints of gold to represent the Golden Valley and tinges of green to capture the threat of algal blooms. 

Murray said, "Salmon spawn in freshwater rivers, live in the river for a couple of years and then they go out to sea. They need cold, clean water, and if the rivers aren't clean, the salmon won't be coming back. Atlantic salmon are symbolic of a healthy river system, a healthy ocean. If we can save them, then we're saving our water".

You can learn more about Murray's Creatures of Light series by watching this short film on YouTube.

The paintings are available to buy on Jim's Shopify site.

Nicola Cutcher from Friends of the River Wye said, "It was a complete pleasure to meet Jim Murray at the Hay Festival Winter Weekend and learn more about his passion for saving the salmon and cleaning up our rivers. A true friend of the Wye. We're deeply touched that he's using these paintings to support our work on behalf of the river”.