Summer 2026

66 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 P ainter, gardener, author, lecturer, photographer, teacher. Elizabeth Murray pursues all those endeavors with zeal and passion. She leads a life full of color and adventure while remaining firmly root- ed in her historic Monterey home. “I care a lot about a lot of things,” she says.“I aspire to inspire people to care more about the natural world, fol- low their dreams and create beauty.” She expresses herself in all those creative pursuits and teaches others how to tap into their own. Murray’s published works include several books on garden design and cultivating creativity, and calendars that feature images of Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France, where she had the incredibly good fortune to live and work in the 1980s. She’s returned many times since. “I’ve been a gardener and artist since childhood,” she says. She fell in love with Monet’s gardens and talked herself into a job working there. That expe- rience had a profound influence on her life and work. Naturally, Murray’s artwork depicts her impressions of the natural world, showcased in a recent exhibition at Sunset Center’s Marjorie Evans Gallery. Her artworks lent a riot of color to the space, giving one the sense of strolling through one of the many gardens Murray has designed and maintained. To view Murray’s work, visit www.elizabethmurray.com. ART I ST PROF I L E Elizabeth Murray Photo: Kelli Uldall