Ian Murphy is a fine art artist who works in a variety of drawing, printing and painting techniques to produce large bold canvases exploring the theme of landscape.
"My response to any environment is to produce a painting that captures not only the physical qualities that are present, but the spiritual and atmospheric ones as well. This is why some of my images are quite large in scale, dominating the viewer".
Ian has exhibited throughout Britain, Europe and Hong Kong and has run numerous In-Service courses and residencies in his role as Artist-in-Education. He has been involved in education programmes with the BBC. He has lectured to educationalists in Hong Kong and Greece and in 1993 established the Abbadian Art Company to extend his knowledge, working practices and experiences to an audience of different ages and cultures.
Ian was Artist in Residence with Secondary Art Staff from Wirral Schools in October 1999 and as part of the Art and Architecture Residency 2000 he worked in Wirral Grammar School for Boys, West Kirby High School and Upton Convent. Painting by Ian Murphy.
Ians comments about the project:
"I feel that the project which had the greatest foundation was with West Kirby. This was due entirely to the first day being devoted to drawing on Hilbre Island. The Year 10 students were able to absorb the atmosphere of the location and allow the essential qualities of the landscape to influence their sketchbook work. Some, if not all of this experience, will be evident in their development work, but I feel that the success of the project should not be measured with the initial paintings but with the subsequent images that could be produced later".
Summative comment by Wirral Grammar School on the drawing / painting project:
"An extremely useful input at the early stages of GCSE and A level. Rich textural surfaces were achieved under Ians guidance and we are currently building on this experience".