Inspiring Art Students and Scholars: An Inspiring Workshop with Contemporary Artist, Ian Murphy

We had the pleasure of spending the day with contemporary British Artist, Ian Murphy, for a fast-paced and inspiring practical workshop with our Year 9 and 10 art students and art scholars.

Ian Murphy is a contemporary British Fine Artist who gained initial success with selection to the British Young Contemporary Artists in 1985. He is best known for his powerful, tonal drawings and atmospheric, mixed media oil paintings of architectural places.

The workshop began with Ian Murphy showcasing his extensive collection of artwork and sketchbooks, inspiring students to explore various technical skills. Participants engaged in rapid studies centred on mark-making and tone, allowing them to experiment with energetic marks while analysing structure, pattern and texture in the built environment.

As the day progressed, students applied the techniques they had learned to create larger pieces, integrating the different skills they had learnt.

 

Feedback from students highlighted the influence the workshop had.

Myra in Year 9 expressed excitement about the new skills she had learnt, saying ‘I found the workshop fascinating. I’ve learnt lots of new techniques and I think it has really elevated my art. I’m going to go home and try it out some more.’

Art scholar Bella, in Year 7 , who won prize money in the Ascot Schools Art Competition last summer which funded the workshop, thoroughly enjoyed exploring new mark-making techniques. She commented, “It was fun and really useful. I’ve learnt new skills. I particularly liked the different techniques of shading using the pen. It was eye-opening, as the process to achieve the final outcome was completely different from what I expected.”

Maryam in Year 12 was influenced to find different ways to employ what she learnt from Ian Murphy – ‘I found it intriguing and useful because there are techniques I can use not just in art. I am going to use it in my photography to add texture and depth to my photos’.

Jasmine in Year 13 has been studying Ian Murphy’s work as part of her A Level coursework. She took the opportunity to interview him individually as part of her research. Jasmine reflected on this experience, saying:

‘I found the interview was very insightful to the processes and thoughts behind his work. I learnt his perspective on how he can capture the cultural and historical aspects of the places he travels to. It was an interesting experience that enabled me to understand the depth of his work.’

The workshop not only provided students with practical skills but also inspired their creative process. We look forward to seeing how these ideas and methodologies develop throughout their projects in the coming weeks.

 

Thank you to Ian Murphy for such an incredible workshop. Find out more about his work on his website – https://www.ianmurphyartist.com/about/