"Joe Pye Weed" by Deirdre Murphy is a framed, one-of-a-kind monoprint with collage (chine collé - applied Japanese colored Gampi papers) in a range of lemon yellows on archival paper. The work itself measures 21.25" x 15.75" and is framed to 26.25" x 21.25" in a simple, white contemporary wood frame, floated on white matboard, and under plexi. It is signed, titled, and dated. These work particularly well in a series (see image gallery) -- please ask me about Murphy's other available works.
Deirdre Murphy's "Contemporary Herbarium" series is based on the Tremblay Herbarium collection at Lehigh University, where Murphy is Assistant Professor. Herbariums are a library of preserved plants which climate change scientists use to track the decline and/or health of botanical species. These monoprints, made from direct impressions of the flowing plant, take a hyperlocal look at East Coast pollinator species that act as hosts to feed the migratory birds, continuing to thrive despite the rising temperatures. The focus of Murphy's studio practice is grounded in the ecology of hope rather than the grieving of extinction and the belief that through awareness we can work to heal and repair our warming earth.
Murphy has exhibited internationally and extensively in the United States in museums, galleries and institutions including Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Delaware, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including the Philadelphia International Airport, Palm Springs Museum of Art, Biggs Museum of American Art, New Bedford Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The recipient of numerous awards and grants, most notably a Percent for the Arts sculpture commission (Dublin, CA) the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Fellowship and a Leeway Foundation award, she has been an artist-in-residence at Winterthur Museum (DE), Lacawac Field Station (PA), Powdermill Nature Reserve (PA), Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (PA), Vermont Studio Center (VT) and Pouch Cove Artist Residency (St. Johns, Newfoundland). Her work has been published in Symbiosis, New American Paintings and Fresh Paint Magazine. Murphy’s work can be found in various public and private collections including Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Museum, Temple University, AlphaMed Press and Gamblin Artists Colors.
Deirdre Murphy earned her MFA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute. Murphy is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Lehigh University and taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Murphy has been a visiting artist at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania College of Design and University of Texas, Philadelphia University, Kent State University & Dickinson College. Deirdre Murphy is represented by the Gross McCleaf Gallery (Philadelphia), Boxheart Gallery (Pittsburgh) and Zinc Contemporary Gallery (Seattle).