Studio Visit With Landscape Painter Karen Murphy - Inside Art With Michael Rose

Studio Visit With Landscape Painter Karen Murphy - Inside Art With Michael Rose

 

The landscape is an enduring source of inspiration for artists, and for Rhode Island painter Karen Murphy, it is a subject she excels at capturing. Fine details as well as the subtleties of color and light come naturally to this local maker. She crafts bright and expressive scenes of the outdoors in her East Providence studio and shares them with viewers throughout the region.

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Murphy did not attend a traditional art school but was raised by an artist father who taught her realist painting techniques. She also spent two decades studying under artists while holding down a corporate day job. One of her most impactful teachers was the popular Tonalist painter Dennis Sheehan, whose work is in the collection of The White House. In 2015, Murphy was able to switch her focus to painting full time and she has actively and energetically created and sold her work, acquiring a large and international social media following along the way. Recent sales have sent her artworks to clients in New Zealand, England, Germany, and Japan, among other locales.

 

 

Asked about her subject matter, Murphy says she is looking for more than just a specific place. She explains, “For me, it’s less about the specific landscape and more about the feeling it holds. Marshes, saltwater, fog, shifting light — they all have this quiet, emotional presence. I’m drawn to places that feel a little timeless, like they’ve always been there and always will be. There’s something really comforting about that. Painting is my way of slowing down and listening. I’m not trying to copy what I see. I’m trying to paint the stillness I feel when I’m walking by the water or watching waves roll in.”

 

Although Murphy was born in Boston and raised on the South Shore, she is now a full-fledged Rhode Islander. Based in Riverside, where she lives and paints, she is close to a lot of beautiful scenery and explores the local landscape by bike and kayak to find new vistas. The energy of the Ocean State is embedded in her painting practice.

 

 

Asked about being a Rhode Islander, the artist answers enthusiastically, “Although I didn’t grow up here, Rhode Island has felt like home since I moved here over a decade ago. I’ve been here 12 years now, and it’s become such an important part of my life and my work. Living so close to the water is a constant source of inspiration, and there’s a really strong network of artists and makers in this state. People care deeply about the arts here. Being a Rhode Island artist feels like being part of something rooted and real.”

 

Murphy has participated in dozens of exhibitions and fairs, earning praise and patrons  along the way. Recently, she was highlighted in American Art Collector Magazine and a Hollywood director acquired one of her paintings at a show. She has been selected for the PVD Artisans Show at WaterFire Arts Center, the Foundry Show at the Pawtucket Armory, Paradise City Arts in Massachusetts, and recently she joined the new Plumb Gallery in the heart of Bristol.

 

 

A hard working artist, Murphy is frequently on the road. In the coming months she will be showing her paintings in Rhode Island at the Gaspee Days Festival and the Wickford Art Festival. Beyond the state, she’s also been chosen to exhibit at the 70th Annual South Shore Arts Festival and the 53rd Annual Chatham Festival of the Arts in Massachusetts, the Mystic Art Festival in Connecticut, and the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival in Maine. She is currently so popular that she has a difficult time keeping paintings in inventory.

 

Looking forward, Murphy is excited for what’s next. She says, “I'm focusing on creating larger paintings that allow for more presence and emotional depth. These pieces provide an opportunity to explore the interplay of light, water, and atmosphere on a grander scale. I’ve been gradually reducing the number of shows I participate in, not just to create more focused time in the studio, but also to allow space for travel, rest, and being out in nature — where so much of my inspiration begins. I’m also slowly reintroducing gallery representation after being self-represented for the past five years or so. I’ve recently joined Plumb Gallery in Bristol and look forward to deepening those relationships while continuing to create work that resonates emotionally and invites a quiet connection to the natural world.”

 

 

An attentive landscape painter with a signature style, Murphy is a working artist with a growing following. In emotional and evocative scenes of marshes, waterways, and other natural spaces, she makes viewers reconsider the world around them.

 

Learn more about Karen Murphy at her website www.karenmurphyfineart.com, or follow her on Instagram at @karen_murphy_fine_art.