brian murphy
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Biography
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Brian T. Murphy was born in Norfolk, Virginia and soon adopted by Thomas and Gay Murphy, a United States Navy Lt. Commander and his wife, and very quickly moved to the New Haven Connecticut area where he lived until attending college. From such a beginning a lifetime of creative tension was formed, as son and family tried to make sense out of the hours and days Brian would spend drawing birds and sports participants, complete series of football helmets and team uniforms, insects and animals. "Very creative dear, now go outside and play - its such a nice day!" And so eventually this love of painting and drawing was safely put aside for many years. Or so it seemed.
Brian entered Fairfield University in Fairfield Connecticut as a pre-law student, but law, as well as almost everything else he had assumed to be true, came quickly into question. He discovered philosophy, and in his passion for philosophy he discovered esoteric philosophy as well - systems of thought that were not taught in classrooms, often connected with non-mainstream religious thought. The question was meaning. What "mattered?" Four years later, armed with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Brian took that quest to the "real" world.
For an artist-in-repression about art as a meaningful path of expression, taking a philosophy degree into the real world was a lot like landing the space shuttle in the New England woods. Over and over again. Fortunately, the quest for what really "mattered" proved a worthy one, both for the eventual recovered artist and questing philosopher journeyman. Time and time again, in search of meaning, Brian was exposed to the richness of the religious, spiritual, and intellectual traditions of many cultures - and their artistic expression. First hand experiences of paths as diverse as Buddhism, Native American teachings, Santaria, Theosophy, Hinduism, Celtic spirituality and Zen Buddhism led to the development of a rich shamanic approach to life. Interestingly, from these teachers and this shamanic path, six years after college Brian's life came full circle back to his art.
Having sold almost all of his possessions and driven cross country from Rhode Island in the late winter of 1988, following hawks whenever direction was needed, Brian ended up in the beautiful town of Sedona, Arizona. For the next four months he lived in a small apartment overlooking scenic highway 89a, single-mindedly reclaiming his love for painting.
Since that time Brian has haunted libraries, museums and galleries, taking the time to study the artists of the past and present - their work, thoughts, and techniques. He has lived in or near Boston MA, Providence RI, Chicago IL, New York NY, and Washington DC, and has taken advantage of the resources these cultural centers provide for self-motivated study. Gradually, his own work improved as he tried to make what could be seen as a disadvantage, his lack of early and formal training, into a positive - a disciplined, fresh perspective grounded in thorough and critical examination of tradition and history.
Brian splits time today living in the Boston area and living on Cape Cod. He is a published poet, and every so often finds himself the center of some internet oriented art community or another, helping people reclaim their natural creativity by sharing their work with others on the internet.
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Statement
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I use lines of gesture, energy, to form shapes. I use color to give the lines and shapes tone, a feel, an emotion - to weave signs together, to separate signs into pieces. Sometimes the shapes evoke lines, sometimes the lines imply shapes. In this dialogue between the two I discover something alive, something mysterious, surprising to me. If I pay attention, soon the painting itself is alive. At this point, I stop.
This is my dialogue with mystery and beauty. And in the back and forth of that dialogue I am surprised.
I believe the simplest of paintings, one stroke or gesture, can hold the energy of this dialogue and, by being alive and to the extent it is alive, be accessible to the viewer. I strive for this alive simplicity.
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Exhibitions
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