Mary-Jo Murphy
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The Creative Cat

1/18/2014

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Most artists find their studios to be lonely places. I'm lucky to have a companion. 
She hangs out on the futon while I am at my easel. Sits on my drawings when I am at my table, perches on the printer and often walks across my keyboard as I  work at the computer. 
This day I was doing research for a cow painting. What shape are their pupils anyway? Felicity was curious also.

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Channel Island Fox

7/24/2013

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PictureIsland Fox
The Island fox is on the State Endangered Species List. The population on San Miguel Island is 420 -500.
The Chumash considered the fox to be a pet of the Sun.






Contact Channel Islands National Park 
1901 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA 93001 
for more information
805.658.5730

http://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm

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at Harbor Village Gallery
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Lunch on a Brazilian Beach

6/26/2013

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Picturephoto by Betty Rubio Where's the cat?
Far above us, on a beach in Bahia, a feral cat smelled lunch.
We enjoyed his company, and later his adorable face and impressive boldness inspired a painting.

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Any leftovers?
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...ONE LAYER AT A TIME

6/16/2013

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When beginning this 5 foot tall elephant painting, I thought of Bill Hogan's title,
How Do You Eat An Elephant?


Large animal, large canvas and skin that was new to me.
How do you paint an elephant?

I began with my drawing, and, as usual, covered the canvas with paint. Once, I got the shapes in, I used many reference photos to deconstruct the colors and textures, right down to the eyelashes.
Here is how the work progressed - one layer at a time.

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#1
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#2
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#3
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#4
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Finished! Pachyderm Passage
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Working from photos and dreams

5/28/2013

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I dream of an African Safari,
but the next best thing was
the work of a talented photographer & friend.
http://lpbiker.com/

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Click on paintings for show information - Fox Fine Jewelry & Gallery
Larry Porter's beautiful photos brought me close to the animals and inspired a vision for five untamed paintings - two being my largest  ever.  Thank you!

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Three Black Cats

3/16/2013

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Venus
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Felicity
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Nikolas
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Nikolas
All black cats are not the same, nor are their portraits.

My first black cat painting of Venus was done many years ago, when I was in High School.
I kindly refer to the finished oil as Outsider Art. I was learning.
Felicity,  now a mature women, posed for me  when she was young and spunky. Her coat is short, with only a few undertones of brown. I kept the background simple and colorful to put the emphasis on the lines of her body.
The day I met Nikolas, he tolerated a few photos and then allowed me to  follow him outside. It was there that I saw the beautiful copper shimmering through his thick black coat and noticed that his alert yellow eyes were flecked with violet.
Nikolas is in his senior years, but as he wandered in his garden, I sensed the intensity of a younger, adventuresome cat.
His owner described him as an "Alaskan Shed Cat."  Like a few fortunate,  feral felines, he won the "little kitty lottery." On a cold day in Wrangell, Alaska, the five week old kitten found his way onto the boat and into the hearts of a couple passing through who were searchng for a cat to adopt.
"We worried that he wouldn't be tame enough, that he'd jump off the boat," Sue, his owner said. "But once inside, he curled up and went to sleep." Nick became a "boat cat" traveling well beyond his humble origins.
I imagined that my third black cat, now a grand gentleman,  would enjoy being captured in a wilder setting - a place where the sun catches the splendor of his fur and in surroundings that reflect his ongoing explorations.


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Wrangell, Alaska
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Venus
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Felicity
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A Challenge to myself - 28 Days

3/2/2013

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Last month, a member of my Illustrators' Group, posed a challenge -
Draw one face, every day for the 28 days. Click on the image of
the girl thinking to see what 
happened...



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Discoveries 

2/12/2013

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Original New York Storm
While I was cleaning out my garage recently, I found this and several other oil paintings that were done when I was in high school. The TV antennae gives you an idea of how old this is.
I photographed it and pulled it into Photoshop. Could I have ever imagined this transformation? 

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Edited in Photoshop
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February Challenge

2/2/2013

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Click on "February Faces" for original post from TableTalk Blog


















"So I'm initiating an art challenge for myself and anyone who also wants to particpate can join in: February Faces! Draw one face every day for the entire month. Big faces, small faces, stick faces, ALL faces!" Gail Buschman

Here's my first one.
Likely I'll bundle them together over the month. One face a day. Doesn't sound like much, but...

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#1 February Faces "Gemma" 2.16 x 2.16 inches, acrylic on teeny, tiny canvas
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Choice Frog

1/18/2013

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Frogsley






Each week I attend a childrens' writers' critique group. One of the members, Eloise Freeman, writes amazingly funny and clever stories for early readers.
 
In one, the protagonist is a frog (Frogsley) whose life becomes complicated when he believes that scary Count Dracula is trying to contact him.

Having illustrated and painted - dogs, cats, emus, rabbits, goats, pigs, ostriches, elephant seals, fish, chickens, roosters, cows, horses, herons, egrets, mice, moose...you can imagine my dismay when at a fund-raising event last summer, someone stopped by my booth and asked, "Do you have any images of frogs?" 

I didn't. Inspiration wasn't hard to find, nor was a name.

"Frogsley" will be at the Harbor Village Gallery in Ventura for another month. Thanks to all who voted for him as the "People's Choice."
Thanks also to Eloise for introducing me to the amazing world of adorable amphibians.


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Frog
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Froggy
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    Mary-Jo 

     I strive to capture that moment when animals are trying to cross the species’ communication barrier.

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