Holiday Craziness is Coming to Town

Hey All,

Been out freezing my booty in my little studio getting ready for a few more Holiday shows.  Kaleid Gallery's annual show, entitle "Hark" opens first Friday December 2nd at 7pm. I'll have about 6 or 8 new pieces and will also be there if you'd like to come by and say hello, wish me happy holidays or just give me a hug. Just an idea.  I've also brought in a ton of new prints, which are matted and signed and for 20 bucks make a pretty good present for your art lover friends. Kaleid is in Downtown San Jose on 4th Street between Santa Clara and San Fernando, in case you didn't know. www.kaleidgallery.com

"Never Again" -  at Kaleid Gallery

I also have some brand new pieces at Cactus Gallery, Los Angeles. The Tiny Treasures Show  has it's opening reception on December 10. If you're a So Cal person you should go check it out, it's in Eagle Rock which is such a cool art neighborhood and loads of galleries hold openings on the same night.  That's my "Devil Dog" on the invite below.  Cactus Gallery 4534 Eagle Rock Blvd 90041 www.ecleticcactus.com

 

 There's also an assortment of new and nearly new pieces at both Psycho Donut locations, in Campbell and Downtown SJ.  www.psycho-donuts.com

The "Tiny" Show at Studio Gallery is up through December 23 and I have a quite a few pieces still available there as well. The opening was tons of fun and there's tons of great work there by loads of regional artists. Studio Gallery is located at 1815 Polk Street in SF. www.studiogallerysf.com

"Your Cat is Always Coming Between Us"  at Studio Gallery SF

 

 

 

 

So if you can't get your butt to  one of these shows you can always buy my work on etsy. There's a few new originals, but tons of prints of my most popular images. They make a great gift if I do say so. Also, if you use the code SUPERFREE, you get free shipping, as a gift from me.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/murphymae

That's it for now...enjoy your Turkey Day or Tofurkee Day and be thankful!  I'm thankful you're reading this!!!

Upcoming Shows this Winter!

  
I've been crazy busy in the studio this past month getting ready for a slew of winter shows. There are 2 this week and many more to follow before the holidays! I'm especially pleased with my new pieces on wood with ceramic titles (see left). If you get a chance please come out to one of my shows, I'll be at the openings so come by and say hi!

Peace, Murphy

******************************************************

Remind Me Again Why I Love You.  at Red Square, San Mateo

This week:

Pop Up Art Shop: Thursday November 3, 6-9pm

Red Square Design Collective

1628 Palm Avenue (off 17th)

San Mateo CA 94402

I'll be the  featured artist this month at San Mateo's First Thursday event.  Many other artists will be featured at  other venues along Palm Avenue. Stop by and have a glass of wine!

*******************************************************

Tiny: small pieces under $400.

Falling at Studio Gallery  SF

Sunday, November 6th, 2-6pm

Studio Gallery

1815 Polk Street (b/t Washington & Jackson)

San Francisco 94109

This is one of Studio Gallery's most fun annual shows. I'll have loads of new pieces.

Soon:

*******************************************************

Hark!

Friday December 2, 7-9pm

Kaleid Gallery

88  S. 4th Street, San Jose CA

A group show of local artists perfect for holiday giving! I'll have several new originals that I'm currently working on!

*******************************************************

Tiny Treasures: 6th Annual Miniatures Show

Devil Dog at Cactus Gallery LA

Saturday, December 10, 7-10pm

Cactus Gallery

4534 Eagle Rock Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

A  big group show of stocking stuffer proportions! Small works prices at or under $100.

More to come...

  

Website:

MurphyAdams.net

There's always new stuff, especially prints in my etsy shop as well...check it out!

www.etsy.com/shop/murphymae

Thanks Again, Murph

Monster mash Up at Psycho Donuts!

Monsters, donuts and art...what could be better? I've got some new paintings over at Campbell's Psycho Donuts for their annual Halloween show.  Try their new Zombie Balls...delish!

Mark your calendar for

October 15, starting at 10am for

Psycho Monster MashUp!

We're mashing together original artwork (by local artists such as Christine Benjamin, Nic Caesar, John Hageman, Murphy Adams, Michael Foley, Lacey Bryant and more), along with Psycho Karaoke in the padded cell. If you've never experienced Psycho Karaoke, you haven't lived! Join us with our fearless karaoke leader, Bruce Rogers of Korkaraoke.

Mash that up a little further with off-the-wall donuts, and zombified nurses - and there you have it
I Have Demons

Luna Park Chalk Art Festival

Ok, so this was my first time doing chalk art on concrete.  I was a little intimidated but just decided to go for it. I didn't bring a photo or a sketch or anything to go by, like most things in my life I just winged it. Because I normally work really small, most of my pieces top out at 7 inches, doing a 10x10 foot drawing seemed impossible but 4 1/2 hours later there you have it.

This was the 4th Annual Chalk Art Festival at Backesto Park on the Northside in San Jose. Friends Lacey Bryant, Al Preciado, Paul Gonzales, and our fearless leader Katrine Loera chair and organizer of the festival, along with loads of other artists, kids and high school art students made some incredible pieces. There was also some really cool entertainment, art booths, food trucks (I had rad Korean tacos from Mogo and amazing handmade ice cream from Treatbot!) This was a fantastic event and if you weren't there, check it out next year!

Lacey Bryant and her amazing piece!

Katrina Loera and "Fallout of the Rising Sun"

On Saturday September 24th I'll be participating in the Luna Park Chalk Art Festival. Not only will I make a big ass chalk art piece, I'll also have a booth seeling my paintings, prints and lots more. There's also going to be cool food trucks, live music and dancers and tons of other nifty artists.  I hope that you can be there! Details below...

Time	Saturday, September 24 · 10:00am - 4:00pm
Location	Backesto Park North 13th Street between Jackson and Empire San Jose, CA
Created By	Katrina Marie Loera
More Info	The Luna Park Chalk Art Festival is happening on September 24th from 10-4pm at Backesto Park in San Jose. Featured chalk artists include Wayne and Cheryl Renshaw, Julio Jimenez, Paul J. Gonzalez, Lacey Bryant and Katrina Loera. Other artists include Murphy Adams, David Mejia, Monika Rose, John Cloud, Empire Seven Studios Juan Carlos Araujo , Sonja Caldwell, Frankendoll, Shannon Amidon, Miguel Machuca, Anthony Barbaria, Al Preciado, Francisco Franco and many many more! Musical and dance guests will include Cuatro con Tres, accordion player Michael Zampiceni and Movimiento Cosmico Aztec dancers. This year we have over 30 vendors and over 100 artists planning to attend. Treatbot, Mogo BBQ, Mona's Fruit, San Jose Noodle, Giovanni's Pizza, Sonia's Sweets and Eats, and Lorena's Taqueria will also be there. You don't want to miss this unique event! It will be unlike any festival you have ever attended! Join us!

Sisters of Mercy: Nine Nuns I Have Known

Friday night is usually date night. Mr. Adams & I went and saw a movie...The Help. I had read the book, which is unusual, I mean I can read, but my spare time is usually devoted to making stuff so I don't read that much, and especially not best sellers. In any case I did like the book and the movie was really good as well. Anyways, I'm straying away from my point. While getting our tickets, 2 nuns were ahead of us in line. Real nuns. Updated habits, not the kind I remember from catholic school, and blue not black, summer weight habits. One looked just like my 3rd grade teacher, Sister Celelia. We called her Sister Hitler (top row, 3rd from left). She was not the nicest of nuns and reminded me constantly that I bore a resemblance to the troll doll Ricky kept in his desk. She sent me to the principal's office more than once, and once I called her a bitch under my breath, which got me in real trouble, the kind that included a yard stick in the cloak room. I spent the rest of that school year in her classroom a prisoner unable to move or open my mouth for fear of what she might have planned for me.

In any case in seeing these nuns enter the theater my husband says to me, "You're feeling guilty, aren't you?"...yes. Yes I was. I had just finished "Sisters of Mercy" a nod to the nine nuns I had known in elementary school. Most I imagine are probably dead, so here was my chance to immortalize these women, the kind of women that don't exist much anymore, save the 2 nuns who decided to see The Help that evening, a strange coincidence and reminder of what a bad person I am or uh, was.

The Sisters of Mercy weren't all bad, I loved some of these women, even Sister Loretta, with the lovely singing voice, and crackerjack skill at whacking your fingers with a ruler when you weren't paying attention. Or Sister Mary William, who loved math and spoke with a funny little lisp, the short and stout puffy little nun we called Muffin. Our principal Sister Virginia was probably the first practitioner of tough love. She was known by the nickname Beaver, for all the years of her reign, because of her prominent buck teeth. Once a group of students set a trail a sawdust from the convent to her office, the kind of cruelly funny prank that only kids forced to wear wool uniforms in California and go to mass everyday are capable of.

So "Sisters of Mercy" will be available soon as a 16x20 inch limited edition giclee print. It will be $95. unframed. If you're interested in pre-ordering one I'll throw in free shipping, just let me know! murphyadams@sbcglobal.net


Upcoming:

Luna Park Chalk Art Festival
Saturday September 24, 2011 10am-4pm
Backesto Park, San Jose
www.lunaparkbusiness.com

I'll be creating some street art at this Chalk Festival, but I'll also have a booth selling my paintings, prints and sculptures, come check it out. Luna Park is a sweet little San Jose neighborhood!

Illustration Friday: Disguise

Well I haven't posted in IF for awile but saw this weeks topic and knew I had the perfect piece. This is called "Show Me Who You Really Are".

Trying Something New

Keeping things new and exciting is always a challenge and I'm not just talking about my marriage (hee hee). As an artist I try challenging myself regularly, I figure there's always something to learn and I don't want to just settle into one thing and become a Thomas Kincaid type, cranking out the same crap day after day. (Note: His stuff is crap, not mine, but I guess that's a matter of opinion) Anyways, you gotta grow, change and part of that means trying new things in order to keep it fresh, peoples.

OK so I'm a painter, but I'm always experimenting with new materials, I'm a freak for inks, odd rubber stamps, fancy art markers and all kinds of art supply store goodies. I often work in clay, handbuilding sculpture and for my day job I make alot of handmade tiles for architectural projects. However, I've never been able to master the art of throwing pots. While in college many years ago I attempted this great feat and was a complete failure. Of course back in those days they were kick wheels, none of this silent electric wheel stuff, it was hard work. The fact is I never did get the hang of it, my pots all looked like some kinda rumpled tube top on the laundry room floor. Yes, this was the 80's.

Well so recently an old friend who is an amazing ceramicist opened a studio called Higher Fire and I decided to take a class. The owner Dan, is an amazing teacher and has been super patient with me. I'll admit I didn't take to it right away, but I'm starting to get it and and after sort of putting my own take on it, I actually like my pieces. I've been using letter stamps for some recessed phrasing and then when the clay is leather hard carving in some of my images. I then hand paint them with glazes and fire. Check out some of my first pieces and some still in progress.

Another new thing I recently tried was making mono-prints. A couple of weeks ago I also got the opportunity to take part in a workshop at The Institute of contemporary Art here in San Jose. I was sponsored by a member of the board there for this workshop where the idea was to take artist who work in other media, like painters, photographers, sculptors etc. and teach them to make prints. The teacher was Fanny Reznek, an accomplished printmaker, who was wonderful in teaching us the basic use of materials. Anyways, check out my results!

Upcoming Show!
This summer I'll be a featured artist in "Mischief" at Studio Gallery in San Francisco. Spend a day in the city and come see the show!

Mischief, characters, creatures & comics
July 13th - August 7th
opening reception: Sunday, July 17th, 2-6 pm
http://www.studiogallerysf.com

Read About Me!
Awesome outsider artists The Nally Boys, father and son duo Wm B. and David "Big Dutch" Nally have featured me on their blog, please check it out! They're both amazing artists from Pennsylvania.
http://thenallyboys.blogspot.com/

Like beer?
Exciting news...I've been commissioned to design a beer label for a local brewery, this red ale is supposed to come out soon and will be sold at BevMo. More on this later! I'm hoping to do an art show/beer party...sounds fun, huh?

As always, I'm always listing new stuff in my Etsy Store http://www.etsy.com/shop/murphymae, take a peek

There's also some new work including lots of affordable prints at Kaleid Gallery, if you find yourself in downtown SJ check it out http://www.kaleidgallery.com

Feel free to contact me with any questions, commissions, suggestions, you know, whatever, I always love hearing from you all!

Happy Summer!
Murph
www.murphyadams.net

Dollmaker Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4jfQBUNkY0

Here's a great video that shows all the work in the Dollmaker Show at Cactus Gallery in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood. My stuff is near the end. The opening was great fun!




Also don't forget this Sunday March 20th, I'll have some paintings in "Delicious" at Studio Gallery in SF!
http://www.studiogallerysf.com/

Murphy in March

Never Much Cared for My Brother - original mixed media painting

February is kinda a whirlwind for me. First off it's a short month, and it includes Valentine's Day and what 20 years ago I thought was a good idea, my birthday, my husband's birthday and our anniversary. Boy was I stupid. Valentine's Day is a chuck it sort of holiday for us, leave it to the kids and all the idealistic suckers out there high on love. My manfriend and I spent a few days celebrating 20 years of wedded bliss, as well as our respective (I won't tell you how old we are) birthdays up in Calistoga, soaking in mineral pools, sipping wine and eating tasty vittles. I would highly reccommend it.

I was in 2 great shows in February, Love Sick at Psycho Donuts in Campbell and the Love/Hate Show at Picture This Gallery in Long Beach. Thanks to all of you who made it out there, especially my SoCal folks.

So March, 31 days of almost Springtime goodness!
I have 2 really fun shows this month, please come check them out if you can!

Dollmakers: The Doll Show
Cactus Gallery
4535 Eagle Rock Blvd
eagle Rock, LA CA 90041
www.eclecticcactus.com

So I've been making these art dolls for awhile now. The idea being that if you didn't have a boyfriend to cozy up with I could make you one. Like a teddy bear for grown ups, but not in a blow-up doll sort of way (sorry peeps). So I made some new Boyfriends, and 2 Girlfriends for the first time and a set of Siamese Twins,Gabriel and Damian, one good, one bad.


Delicious, work inspired by food & drink
March 16th - April 10th
opening reception: Sunday, March 20th, 2-6 pm
STUDIO Gallery
1815 Polk Street (between Washington & Jackson)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.931.3130

This is one of my favorite annual shows and honestly one of my favorite galleries. It's got a great stable of local talent and I always see many things there I absolutely love. The piece above titled "Never Much Cared for My Brother, will be included as well as a few others. The recption is on a Sunday afternoon in the city, what could be better. I'll be there, come see me!

If that's not enough I've got new work on etsy especially prints
www.etsy.com/shop/murphymae
and new stuff at:
Kaleid Gallery , San Jose
Azuca Gallery, Los Gatos

BE MY VALENTINE

February 14, some of us love it, waiting patiently, our hearts all aflutter, thinking that this Valentine's day will take the cake; champagne, flowers, candy, romance...fat chance. Let's face it Valentine's Day usually sucks. It's a yearly reminder of relationships gone wrong, a sleepless, sexless night when the best you can hope for is the last box of crappy Russell Stover chocolates picked up on his way home from work. Or maybe your wife will buy you a new pack of tighty whities at Target because she's sick of seeing you in those blown out chodies you insist on wearing.

Let's change all that! I have an idea, why don't you come and check out one of my upcoming shows, my etsy shop or my website and buy your #1 lover a painting or print that explores the heartwarming or heartshattering side of love...your choice! I have tons of new work out there...check it out, it might just make your February 14th memorable for all the right reasons!

---

Current and Upcoming Shows:

A Murder of Crows and Other Avian Stories

through March 6

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 12

7-10pm

Cactus Gallery

4534 Eagle Rock Blvd

Eagle Rock (Los Angeles) CA 90041

http://www.eclecticcactus.com/

The Annual "LOVE/HATE" Exhibit
Love and hate are two of the most passionate emotions a person can feel. They both can cause strong out comes, sometimes even insanity. Most everyone has felt either the intense happiness or that profound hurt because of love. This Valentine season is a great time for artists and poets to share these emotions. Through paintings, photography, sculpture, poetry/spoken word or song.......people are coming together to express themselves with art.

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 12th, 5pm – 8pm

Show dates: February 1st through February 26th

PICTURE THIS GALLERY
4130 Norse Way
Long Beach, CA 90808
562.425.4861
*NEW Hours: Tue,Thurs, Fri NOON-5pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
www.picturethisgallery.weebly.com

Love Sick: An Anti Valentine's Day Event

Psycho Donuts Campbell

Reception: Sat February 5

10am-1pm

Get ready, because you're gonna be Lovesick! Our kickoff event for the Valentine's Day season is coming up on

Saturday, February 5! Lovesick is the place to pick up a piece of original artwork inspired by the effects of love (which are not always positive). If you're truly feeling lovesick, come to

Lovesick for some good 'ole Psycho Karaoke in the Padded Cell, with our good friend Bruce Rogers of Korkaraoke. And of course, your favorite Psycho

Valentine's Day donuts will be on hand - who remembers Shot Thru the Heart, and Blueballs??

Don't forget my etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com

/shop/murphymae