Jemima Murphy is from the artistic family and grew up between London and New Forest. After her Russian BA degree at the University of Bristol, she spent a year training to be an actor in New York. Always keeping up with her painting, a few years ago she decided to take it on fully and she is currently studying for her MFA at City and Guild’s of London Art School. Previous selected exhibitions and fairs include Gillian Jason Gallery, British Art Fair with Cynthia Corbett, Eye of the Collector, Young Master’s Art Prize, Janet Rady, Liliya Art Gallery and Home House members Club London. Her work was selected to be part of the Scalpel Building’s permanent collection and is also part of the Nixon Collection.
Unbound Blooms | 2022
‘If I don’t feel it, I don’t paint’. (Monet) Negotiating the balance between abstract and the representational, I try to capture the profound struggles, contradictions and psychological depths of sublime emotions through recreating imagined landscapes. I play with these intensities through bold colours and instinctive brush strokes, while embracing error.
I work fast and expressively, drawing on momentum: my gestures, relationship with my materials and what they allow me to achieve are inherent in my work. Accidents and mistakes are integral in my practice where I try to separate the conscious from interfering with the unconscious and within that, material mistakes are made offering me new ideas.
"‘If I don’t feel it, I don’t paint’. (Monet) Negotiating the balance between abstract and the representational, my works captures the profound struggles, contradictions and psychological depths of the sublime. "
Chasing Blooms | 2023
Here In The Morning | 2023
I’m interested in the intersection of pain in art and the sublime, often harnessing it as a tool when I work. Imbued with emotion, my practice sheds light on feelings of excitement and fear that demonstrate the intangible aspects of ‘the unknown’ and the ‘pursuit of the impossible’. My drive behind this pursuit lies in its challenge where I confront personal boundaries and explore the mysteries of the world, striving for something that’s deeply satisfying while infinitely, thought-provoking and unyielding to solve. With the help of my materials, repetition of gesture is an example of how the search for new discoveries is reflected in my work.
Similar to the ineffable nature of the sublime, my exploration of the pursuit of its understanding is an indefinite process. My practice thrives on persistent desire - something I will never capture or reach because the element of uncertainty lingers. Confronting my fears, my interest in the unknown is based on excitement; I’m inspired by its boundless source of possibilities that cannot be determined or defined.
