Murray's work has been inspired primarily by the light and shadow of the New Zealand landscape. His love of the outdoors and the rugged natural beauty of the South Island countryside has drawn him to many untouched areas of Fiordland, the Catlins in southern Otago, and Central Otago.

Murray’s style reflects the mood of the bush, lakes and mountains, and his paintings present a perspective on a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and unexpected, serene and powerful. Murray develops his paintings from the photographs he takes on his trips into the untravelled back country of the South Island. Recently he has been exploring by helicopter, discovering and capturing New Zealand landscapes inaccessible by road.