笔名怀谷，1947年生，北京通州人。当代有影响的山水画家。
刘牧融和了东西方绘画色彩，作品有强烈的时代感，同时又极具传统意蕴。历年来入选，参加了各种国内、国际重要展览及获奖，而倍受学术界观注。因参与主创香港回归一周年国礼，江泽民主席题名《锦绣中华》大型青绿山水画，受到文化部表彰及嘉奖。
刘牧曾经在中国画研究院画廊主持过大量的展览及学术活动，为成就当代中国画诸多名家起到了重要作用。为此，得到李可染、张仃、叶浅予等老一代国画大家的充分肯定。曾经策划参与首届及多届中国艺术博览会；策划参与山东艺术博览会，并出任首届艺术总监。为探索中国艺术品市场发展做出过努力。曾经发起，和受他影响的国内画家、香港、台湾、日本等画家共同创建了“0”画派，提出的“东方、现代、个性、智慧、创造”十字学术方针在画界有广泛的影响。
刘牧是美术教育家，当代许多成绩卓著的中青年画家或受其极大影响，或就出其门下。他早年创建了北京珐琅厂技校并任教；1995年，而后三年，客作中央美术学院国画系山水画室，及外办教学部，参与本科、研究生、留学生教学；2004年后，主持中国国家画院教育培训中心高研班等教学工作，并参与教学。数十年积累了丰富的教学经验，取得了显着的教学成果。着有“教学篇”、“放心斋说画”、“山水教学写生作品集”等专着。得到了学术界专家、学者的充分认可及赞赏。
主要出版有：
《刘牧画集》
《一地棒子——刘牧学画四十年》
《当代名家艺术观——刘牧教学篇》
《唯心是画——刘牧作品精选1.2.3卷》
《刘牧山水写生画集》
《中国名画家全集?当代卷——刘牧》
《中国美术大事记?2008——刘牧》
《云来云去——青海、玉树、囊谦》
《放心斋说画》
主要个展有：
1991年中央学术学院美术馆个展
1993年中国美术馆中国新绘事1993——刘牧展
上海美术馆中国新绘事1993——刘牧展
台北美术馆中国新绘事1993——刘牧展
1994年湖北美术院美术馆个展
2000年山东美术馆“0”画派展
2002年《一地棒子——刘牧学画四十年》济南、东营、淄博出版发行展
北京艺术设计学院美术馆写生作品展
中国画研究院美术馆师生展
2007年湖北美术学院美术馆写生作品展
中南民族大学美术学院美术馆写生作品展
2008年香港个展
意大利罗马个展
2009年山东艺术学院美术馆写生作品展
意大利罗马个展（油画）
2010年珠海诚丰美术馆个展

Pseudonym conceives cereal, unripe 1947, beijing tells city person. Influential now landscape artist.
Liu herd be in harmony was mixed colour of thing square brushwork, work has strong times feeling, have traditional idea extremely again at the same time accumulate. Calendar year comes selected, it is important to attended all sorts of homes, international exhibition and bear the palm, and times suffer academia view to note. Because participate in advocate achieve Hong Kong to return to one anniversary country ceremony, autograph of Chairman Jiang Zemin " samite China " large viridescence landscape painting, be commended by culture ministry reach commend.
Liu Mu once drew academy gallery to had directed many exhibition and academic activity in China, to accomplish the traditional Chinese painting in now a lot of a person of academic or artistic distinction had main effect. For this, get Li Ke is caught, Zhang Ding, Xie Jian grants to wait for old generation traditional Chinese painting sufficient affirmation of everybody. Once engineered participate in first to reach many China artistic exposition; The plan participates in Shandong artistic exposition, take up the post of first artistic chief inspector. Had made hard to explore Chinese artwork market to develop. Once initiated, founded jointly with the domestic painter that suffers him to affect, painter such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan " 0 " drawing style, put forward " Oriental, contemporary, individual character, wisdom, creation " crossed science policy has extensive effect in picture bound.
Liu Mu is art educationist, a lot of achievement are outstanding now in young painter or suffer its great influence, or give its door to fall. His one's early years founded school of ability of Beijing enamel factory to teach; 1995, after that 3 years, the guest makes traditional Chinese painting of central academy of fine arts fasten landscape painting room, education department runs outside reaching, participate in education of undergraduate course, graduate student, student studying abroad; After 2004, chair education of Chinese country imperial art academy to groom the center grinds high the education such as the class works, participate in education. Tens of year accumulated rich teaching experience, fetched the education gain that showing. Move have " education piece " , " be at ease fast says a picture " , " collect of work of landscape education paint from life " wait to be worn only. Those who got academia expert, learned man is sufficient approbate reach admiration.
Basically publish have:
" Liu Mu draws volume "
" one ground club -- Liu Mu learns a picture 40 years "
" art of contemporary a person of academic or artistic distinction is watched -- Liu Mu education piece "
" Platonic it is a picture -- Liu Mu work is handpick 1.2.3 "
" drawing from nature of Liu herd landscape collect "
" complete works of Chinese renown artists? Coil now -- Liu Mu "
" Chinese art memorabilia? 2008 -- Liu Mu "
" Yun Laiyun goes -- modest of Qinghai, Yu Shu, bursa "
" be at ease fast says a picture "
Main exhibit have:
In the center of 1991 academic institute art gallery exhibit
China of Chinese art gallery is new 1993 paint job 1993 -- Liu Mu is exhibited
Job of new paint of China of Shanghai art gallery 1993 -- Liu Mu is exhibited
Job of new paint of China of Taipei art gallery 1993 -- Liu Mu is exhibited
1994 art gallery of Hubei art courtyard exhibit
2000 Shandong art gallery " 0 " drawing style is exhibited
2002 " one ground club -- Liu Mu learns a picture 40 years " Jinan, east rich of battalion, Zi is published exhibit
Beijing art designs work of paint from life of academic art gallery to exhibit
China draws teachers and students of academy art gallery to exhibit
Work of paint from life of art gallery of Hubei academy of fine arts was exhibited 2007
In south work of paint from life of art gallery of ethical university academy of fine arts is exhibited
2008 Hong Kong exhibit
Italian Rome exhibit
Work of paint from life of art gallery of Shandong artistic institute was exhibited 2009
Italian Rome exhibit (canvas)
2010 Zhuhai sincere abundant art gallery exhibit