Kate MURPHY
Shortlisted 2010

work shown : Versailles (2009)
Oil on found frame
30 x 25 cm
(click on picture to see larger image)

Project

I am seeking assistance to allow me the time and space to produce a large body of work for a solo exhibition with Wexford Arts Centre in 2010. I feel this exhibition marks a turning point in my career. It is a valued opportunity for me to show my work in a respected and established arts centre and to situate the work outside Dublin commercial galleries. In this context I am determined to deepen the quality of my work and the range of my practice over the coming year, to produce the highest standard work that I possibly can.

For the past three years I have been making paintings under short deadlines for specific exhibitions in commercial spaces in Dublin. A large majority of my time in the studio over the past year in particular has been spent completing commissions or small numbers of paintings for group exhibitions. Almost all of the work has sold and therefore it has been difficult to evaluate new ideas and feel a continuity in the work as well as the practice overall. I feel that, at this point in my practice, I need to build a large body of work slowly over the coming year, with time to evaluate and deepen the ideas and concerns in the work and the upcoming exhibition is an ideal goal towards which to work. Financial support would be greatly beneficial in this regard.

Extract from Artist Statement

The paintings aim to use the architecture, objects and surfaces of domestic spaces to investigate ideas of identity, nostalgia, longing and ritual within the context of the idea of 'home'. At present the work is becoming divided into different areas and over the coming year I intend to work to close the gap between these different areas, to develop the formal and conceptual in tandem towards a more sophisticated visual language and a stronger emotional presence in the work.

The first area - semi-abstract, instinctive pieces are characterised by strong texture and form and are an investigation of the materiality of the paint and its descriptive and emotive qualities. Abstract landscapes and interiors appear in this work but texture and colour are the primary descriptive features, with glossy surfaces resembling porcelain and Formica contrasting with the worn textures of wallpaper, fabrics and wood.

Other work is more conceptual and relies on narrative, colour and realism. In these pieces, realistic scenes are used to investigate the subtle hierarchy of roles and identities that originate in the home. Disconcerting scenarios are constructed to suggest multiple viewpoints and narratives within a single scene. A sense of tension is deliberately cultivated between the comfortable, familiar objects of 'home' and their uneasy placement within the composition. Most recently, I have been using images of palaces to look at the comparisons of scale and power between public and domestic displays of power. In this new body of work, I hope to continue to use the palace images alongside typically domestic objects / images to look further at the commonalities between the two different social spheres.

Images for the work are sourced from an ongoing photographic archive of actual houses and landscapes visited by me as well as from printed documents, existing framed paintings and other domestic objects.

The paintings are made using thick layers of household paint which is built up and sanded down to a mirror finish. Drawings are then made by carving and cutting into the solid paint with elements of the paintings standing proud from the background. Mixed media such as wallpaper, wood, lace, linoleum etc are used to 'print' textures into the paint. Glazes and washes are built up over the textured layers.