Cyndi McMurray has been chosen Artist of the Month at River Region Art Gallery for August. Cyndi was born in Syracuse N. Y, but grew up in New Orleans since the age of three. She has always loved art since as early as she can remember and believes her inspiration as an artist comes from her grandfather who had natural talent as an artist, inventor and carpenter Cyndi claims her first attempt at art was drawing, as she imitated the drawings her mother loved to do of the old style Hollywood designers.

As a teenager, Cyndi turned to photography. She learned from hands on, trial and error, and lots of imagination! She has worked with photography for 30 years now, and has done everything from weddings & babies to 3 day concert events where she was the official photographer. She has been published in Easy Rider magazine and the Parade Magazine as one of the winners for a contest in 1989 titled Young America. She has quite a collection of New Orleans pre-Katrina photos . Several of her Big Easy scenes are on display at the RRAA Gallery.

But her specialty art is making the unique" Original Jeweled Head Art" which she has been doing for about 10 years. Cyndi claims her inspiration for the Head art comes from Nita and Zita, two New Orleans show girls and their bedazzling and incredible costumes. You can read all about them at "http://www.nita-zita.com" Cyndi has even designed a poster in tribute to them and it is on display at RRAA Gallery along with a few of their bizarre costumes.

Cyndi is honored to have three of her beaded heads now in the Big Apple. She has Cathay, Quarter Moon , and Ray Charles on display in Brooklyn at the Monster Gallery and Brooklyn Lyceum. One of her heads titled: Loves Me Not : was recently accepted into a juried competition by Ohr Rising, in the Gulf States area. It will be at the Fine Arts Gallery, Jefferson Davis Campus, Gulfport, Ms. One might say Cyndi McMurray, Artist, is “HEADING” in all directions with her unique beaded art.