Dan Murphy

Concepts and Expressions I’m fascinated with include psychology and the functions and malfunctions of the mind, beliefs and thought processes. My current work explores the point at which things stop making sense. In a dream, a delusional state or during a magician’s show. The point at which logic is abandoned and the sub-conscious takes over. Where the mind is left un-tethered by rationality to wander the fields of thoughts and memories. I pluck the subject matter for my paintings from these fields, often using a “stream of consciousness” approach. By juxtaposing the incongruous, the natural and man-made, the relationships of my subjects are called into question. I present a quiet still life tableau where a feeling of mystery and intrigue hangs, a challenge to decipher some playfully veiled message, expressing my own sense of humour and playfulness. During my artistic journey as a self-taught artist I’ve become enamoured with certain painting genres, including Surrealism, Magic Realism, Allegorical Realism and recently the Still Life of the Dutch Golden Age. My work combines elements of these influences, using forthright compositions and capturing realistic representations of qualities of light. I’m compelled to create by my desire to find new ways of expressing my artistic message, improve my painting skill and produce an overall higher degree of fine art.