A Touch of Wanderlust
Wanderer, award-winning photographer, Indigenous environmental activist, animal lover.
04/23/2024
A photographer's connections with eight Indigenous women have helped her come to terms with her own Native ancestry and colonial trauma. Visit the link to view their photos and read their stories.
The Healing Power of Matriarchs A photographer’s connections with eight Indigenous women have helped her come to terms with her own Native ancestry and colonial trauma.
02/14/2024
Thank you Tacoma Weekly!
Matriarch photography exhibition at History Museum Put your description here...
ENP crew,
Being back here and seeing you and the animals is good for my soul. Every time is a healing experience, and this 3rd time is even more special. Photographing the park brings me a type of joy I haven’t experienced in a long time. You all mean so much to me. Thank you.
05/16/2023
Thank you Tacoma Arts for the feature!
05/08/2023
In a little over a month, I’m headed back to Chiang Mai to work with my pachyderm pals. If you are able to donate, please Venmo me for the following:
-surgery kits
-flea and tick meds for rescue cats and dogs
(Bravecto seems to be the most effective)
-toolkits for elephant nails
These are the most needed things right now.
Donations will be directly delivered to the park when I arrive.
Venmo: Roxann-Murray
🐘
You can buy also buy a print from me. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the park until June 15.
🐘
I am going to see if the park also wants to try other flea/tick meds that are over the counter that we can easily get here in the States. If they will take these and you’re in the South Puget Sound area, you can drop off the boxes at my home. DM me if you want to do this. I’ve found that Costco has Frontline Plus 8 pack boxes for a pretty good price.
🐘
If you would rather donate directly to the ENP, here is the donation link: saveelephant.org/project/general-donations
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
03/19/2023
After 5 1/2 long years, I’m headed back to the in June! I’ve thought about my favorite place for the last 1642 days.
Until I leave, I’m fundraising to help with the following:
-surgery kits
-flea and tick meds (Bravecto seems to be the most effective)
-toolkits for elephant nails
These are the most needed things right now.
You can donate to me. The donations will be directly delivered to the park when I arrive).
Venmo: Roxann-Murray
You can buy a print from me. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the park until June 15.
If you would rather donate directly to the ENP, here is the donation link: saveelephant.org/project/general-donations
12/12/2022
12/12/2022
Awesome print from a new friend I met at Arts at the Armory. .lee’s work is amazing! Thanks Josh. I appreciate you and Candice. ❤️
12/11/2022
What a great day. I’ll be back at the armory tomorrow!
Come by and enter my raffle. ❤️
11 am – 5 pm
Tacoma Armory, 1001 S Yakima Ave
Free and for all ages
Masks are required
I will have buttons, stickers, cards, collage packs, and an Armory special on prints, 2 for $40 ($10 savings).
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
12/10/2022
Today!
11 am – 5 pm
Tacoma Armory, 1001 S Yakima Ave
Free and for all ages
Masks are required
I will have buttons, stickers, cards, collage packs, and an Armory special on prints, 2 for $40 ($10 savings). I will also have a raffle: spend $40+ and be entered to win a print!
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
12/07/2022
Shop local for the holidays and support independent Tacoma artists.
December 10 & 11
11 am – 5 pm
Tacoma Armory, 1001 S Yakima Ave
Free and for all ages
Masks are required
I will have buttons, stickers, cards, collage packs, and an Armory special on prints, 2 for $40 ($10 savings). I will also have a raffle: spend $40+ and be entered to win a print!
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
I can’t believe I wasted money on that app. These look nothing like me. 😆 This app manages to change important features that make me unique. From seeing other people’s uploads, the AI is also incredibly heteronormative and a bit sexist. It portrays women as fairies, uses pastels, and reduces the size of noses and increases the size of eyes and lips. For men, it portrays them as kings and astronauts.
12/01/2022
“Healing from American Boarding Schools”
🪶
It seems that everyone talks about the horrors of residential schools in Canada, but they want to ignore that it happened here, too. This issue personally affects me in my DNA. My grandfather went to Fort Peck boarding school. My great-grandmother went to a boarding school. I have wanted to do a piece on boarding schools for a while, but did not have the emotional strength. I was able to finish it last night.
🪶
The words in the hair include all of the boarding schools in the U.S. The woman with her hair filled in with the names represents those of us who haven’t been able to heal yet. The woman on the right has less names in her hair because she has done a lot of healing and she can now help others with theirs.
🪶
73 of the boarding schools remain open as of 2020. 15 are still boarding. The states with the most boarding schools are
Oklahoma (83)
Arizona (51)
Alaska (33)
New Mexico (26)
South Dakota (25)
The majority of the schools were Catholic, Presbyterian, and Quaker.
Thank you to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition for providing this information.
10/18/2022
A masked portrait to support public health. Putting a mask on (and wearing it correctly) means resisting systems of oppression including capitalism and forced illness.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
10/11/2022
Artwork is now up at in South Lake Union! Thanks for the opportunity, .art. Seattle/Tacoma friends, please stop by when you have the chance! To purchase a piece, you’ll need a QR code app on your phone, and while you’re there, I suggest trying their macarons and (dare I say it) their pumpkin spice latte. Artwork will be up until January.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
10/08/2022
It's a busy day printing and framing for my upcoming art show at Fresh Flours in South Lake Union. If you're in the Seattle area, be sure to stop by and support a local PNW artist! ❤️
10/06/2022
Today is my 10 year hitrecordiversary! It’s been quite a wild ride. I’ve met so many amazing people near and far on hitRECord. Being a part of this community really helped forward my art career and created rare opportunities. Thanks Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Burning Dan for creating this space. Love you all.
09/16/2022
Don’t move to the PNW. Smoke gets in your eyes.
09/16/2022
I’m working on a series of photographing tourists who do stupid things. This is one of the photos. It’s so important to not be a sh*tty human when you visit places. Here is a photo of icky people failing to follow instructions. The excuse of them not seeing the signs doesn’t hold up since there were so many. They are just typical visitors and entitled; they think they can do whatever they want. That is the problem it’s humanity: entitlement and apathy. Just once would I like to go somewhere and see everyone being respectful of the land and water. Please don’t be like these people.
09/12/2022
The only good thing about the wildfires is the wicked effect it has on the sunset.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
09/11/2022
This is it. This is our life now in the PNW, and it’s the exact reason why I will never have children.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
📷 // DM for inquiries
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
©Roxann L. Murray, All Rights Reserved.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
When I was around 14 years old, I fell in love with Hawai’i without ever setting foot on the islands. I read books about the archipelago and Native Hawaiians. I’ve traveled to many places, but I never seemed to be able to get to Hawai’i except for that one airport layover I had on the way to the Marshall Islands. 20 years later, I got the chance to see Kaua’i, the Garden Isle of Hawai’i. Before I arrived, I read about how tourists and wealthy yt people completely took over and colonized all of the islands. I read about the burial sites being bulldozed for golf courses and how the U.S. military stole the islands and destroyed the aina and wai. I read about outsiders moving here and driving up the property taxes which cause the Kanaka to leave. And this is all still happening. Why am I bringing this up? Because I want visitors to understand how they can visit without disrespecting the people, land, and water. One of the books I read to prepare for this trip is “Detours: A Decolonial Guide to Hawai’i”. I highly recommend it if you plan to visit the islands.
Here are some tips for everyone visiting Hawai’i:
Bring reusables: bags, silverware, water bottles, coffee mug
Use reed-friendly sunscreen
Do not stand on coral
Do not touch wildlife
Follow instructions on road signs
Wear a mask into stores and restaurants
Pick up after yourself
Limit your meat and fish consumption
Do not collect rocks, coral, sand, or shells from the beach
Support Kanaka-owned businesses
Visit and leave
On a lighter note, I’ve always wanted to see a sea turtle and while snorkeling, 2 huge turtles swam under me and popped their heads up!
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Artist’s Statement
I was born in the Pacific Northwest and have lived here my entire life. During my childhood, nature was my teacher, along with my parents and school. I spent much of my time outdoors playing in the mud, climbing trees, and observing wildlife. This is a major reason why my love of nature shows up in my photography and graphic design work. Although I do not limit myself to the subjects I photograph, I enjoy capturing images of animals and nature the most, along with documenting my traveling experiences. As long as I can remember, I have had a deep connection with the natural world.
The majority of my photographs and graphic design work aim to magnify pattern, shape, and color because of their visual appeal. I also focus on bringing attention to the beauty of hidden or ordinary things such as a plant pushing through cracked concrete or an old rusty truck on the side of a road.
As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, the process of a graphic design project can be both frustrating and therapeutic. At the beginning of the project I have an idea of what I want to express, but it takes much time and thought to create the image from what I see in my mind. Once I have the basic layout, the process becomes a way of releasing emotion whether it is excitement, bliss, grief, or anxiety. When the project is finished, I feel a profound sense of fulfillment even if the image is not exactly what I intentionally envisioned.
I enjoy learning and I am always hungry for new knowledge and experience. I believe that may be one reason why I feel the need to travel with a camera in my hand. Traveling can be uncomfortable, messy, and sometimes heartbreaking. However, it opens up opportunities for new experiences with culture, belief systems, conservation, and human interaction. It pushes one’s comfort level and pulls on the heartstrings. Traveling is also necessary for artistic development; it changes perspective and expands the mind.
Videos (show all)
