Murad Sayen
Born in 1945, Murad grew up in New Jersey, the oldest son of a manufacturer. After spending three years in the U.S. Army Infantry, ‘64 -’67, he attended a major state university where he majored in philosophy of ethics. Murad has had a lifelong interest in history, particularly that of the Holocaust and aviation in the European theater of WWII. For many years he was a craftsman of international reputation of one-of-a-kind ‘art knives’.
Murad Sayen is also an oil painter based in Maine whose job has been to tell stories with his brush about what it means to be a human on earth in the 21st century. By portraying ordinary people doing mundane things in everyday places, Murad’s hope is that the observer will be aware of the preciousness of every moment in life; for in every moment there is a source of knowledge that can give us a sense of peacefulness.
A book of Murad’s fine are photography was published by Dartmouth College (University Press of New England) in 2003. “Maine, the Home Place” was a sell-out and remains one of the few glimpses into inland Maine, the “other” Maine. Photography continues to be a central influence on how he sees and paints.