Artist Statement

I find that owning my past and understanding what came before is the only way to move forward. The patina of an aging building; peeling paint on a vine covered gate; a child’s flight up a familiar staircase; light cast across the trunk of an ancient tree; the ever-changing luminescence of a sparkling umbrella of leaves leaving behind a dappled shadow; the intrigue of a man’s face half hidden by his fedora. Through my paintings, I am inspired to share with the viewer the ineffable poetry of imperfection, the timelessness of beauty, the mystery of the past and its lingering echo.

Michelle Murphy has lived and worked in Greenwich Village and Amagansett on the south fork of Long Island for many years.