Ian Murphy
Ian Murphy is an English Fine artist, painter and printmaker. It is his application of media and the visual storytelling this technique creates, that has motivated me to replicate his paintings in the format of which he produces them. Ian Murphy has been significantly inspired by the northern industrial landscape that surrounds him and the impacts that this industry has had on the environment..
Heading East
This mixed media painting, that primarily incorporates oil paint​ is called 'Heading East' and is a small painting from the series of ideas developed from Wuzhen. Ian Murphy to discover the more intimate side of the village of Wuzhen, explored the confined alleyways and cramped streets. The primary focal point of this painting, is the light filtering in from the background, emphasising a gloomy mist encroaching through the towns streets. To create this image, Ian Murphy developed a technique which he pioneered, that involved burning calligraphy into the surface of the painting. I think that by using various layers of mixed media as a background, Ian Murphy has established an atmosphere reminiscent of the time he was there. I think this technique of layering the media will be useful for demonstrating air pollution, because of how air pollution builds up in the form of ash.
By using oil paints and mixed media to develop his backgrounds, I believe that Ian Murphy has created atmospheres reminiscent to those that are impacted by air pollution. His paintings have a similar quality to my London photos, which is why I have created paintings of my primary source photos in the style of Ian murphy. By producing these paintings, I have highlighted the he negative effects pollution has on the urban landscape and therefore the atmosphere of London after being afflicted by air pollution.
To understand the process of creating his paintings, i recreated one of Ian Murphy's more famous paintings using his methods of preparing canvasses and applying paint. I created the canvas using different types of card, as well as book and newspaper pages. These pages and text were significant since i collected them from articles that were critical of air pollution and explained the impacts of air pollution. Moreover, i also tore and clumped up paper to see how this would elevate particular textures and impact the overall painting. From this experiment, i learnt that a canvas created from different medias is an effective method for both displaying information as well as enhancing specific textures. Therefore i will use this technique in my more resolved ideas and eventual final piece.
