Brian Murphy

These little paintings came out of my attempt to get back into painting again. After my youngest daughter was born, there was no time for scouting out a location and going out to paint. I started picking up my sketch book more, which led to doing small watercolors. Then finally, after the move to Asheville, back to oil with my home made cigar box paint box strapped over my shoulder, making painting much quicker and easier, without all the extra gear and tripod. I simplified my pallet to the three primary colors, using French Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, and Titanium White.

Brian Murphy earned his BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. He chooses plein air painting as his choice of communicating with the viewer because the method gives him the freedom to paint outdoors. Working in the tradition of the French Impressionists, he is dedicated to paint light and its changing, ephemeral qualities.

In small works, Brian paints rapidly on canvas with the goal of sharing his impression of the scene. He sometimes takes his small field studies into his studio where he tries to capture the spontaneity of the smaller work in a larger format.