Ian Murphy Art Workshop

Ian, a contemporary artist who first gained initial success in 1985 with his selection for the British Young Contemporary Artists, is renowned for his powerful tonal drawings and atmospheric mixed media oil paintings of architectural places.

The layered surfaces of his large-scale drawings and paintings bear all the marks and textures that were very much reminiscent of the scarified and etched walls and doorways of the factories, coal mines, canal locks and railway goods yards he explored for his research.

Ian talked about the importance of his formative years, the period through school and college that cemented his resolve for drawing directly on location.

“Working outside of my home or school, just became a habit for me, I really enjoy walking to new places and winning the technical challenge when I draw places in my sketchbooks. This is the time I got a solid understanding of perspective and creating the illusion of depth. When I look back at my career, I realise the importance of the time and effort I dedicated to my drawing at school. It really set me up for the challenges ahead.”

During the workshop, Ian brought some wonderful pieces from his collection and offered advice and one-on-one tuition.

Our pupils were inspired and gained valuable knowledge about the artistic journey from sketchbook drawings through to mixed media art.