Walter Murch went to Ontario College in 1925 until transferring briefly to the Art Students League in 1927. Following his academic courses, Murch studied with his friend and mentor Arshille Gorky. Upon his arrival in NYC, Murch worked as an assistant to a stained glass designer. To earn a salary, Murch became an illustrator for fashion magazines and did murals for houses, hotels and department stores. Gorky's influence is present in Murch's work but did not move him to abstraction. In fact, Murch developed his own unique style of painting still lifes and chosen objects as if they had a very aged patina about them, a technique that produced a Realist sense with Romantic overtones. Murch preferred unusual or mundane objects such as machine and motor parts, broken objects and light bulbs. Murch also taught at several universities throughout his career.

Biography courtesy of The Caldwell Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/caldwell