For regional Victorian-based artist Pia Murphy, the thrill of abstract painting comes from not knowing what is about to emerge from the canvas. She doesn’t sketch out her ideas or attempt to assert an outcome on the process, preferring to leave herself open to whatever creative energy comes forth.
Instinct and experimentation are key. Having originally trained in print-making, Murphy was subsequently drawn to clay sculpture, then watercolour, then oil paint. Though her first compositions were still lifes, she quickly progressed to abstraction to better capture the spirit and power of her imagination, and the unexpected magic that occurs when subconscious play is underpinned by formal principles.
Perhaps counterintuitively, there is as much deliberate destruction in these works as there is making. Paint is applied, then trowelled off, reapplied, then sanded back, scraped and voided as Murphy wrestles the surface towards a balance between gritty manipulation, nuanced colour and intuitive movement.
The works are personal, inasmuch as they’re inspired by Murphy’s place in the world and her ongoing personal evolution, but a degree of ambiguity is important. Murphy wants the viewer to bring their own curiosity and worldview to her work that, when combined with her original intent, creates a language that she hopes is universal.
A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (Bachelor of Fine Art, 2004), Pia Murphy has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and internationally in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Winner of the 2004 National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Women’s Association Encouragement Award, her work is held in private collections in Australia, the USA, Italy and Switzerland.
Carrie McCarthy, 2024