Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI

Sandy Murphy is currently exhibiting in our two person exhibition with the esteemed David M Martin RSW RGI.

 



Blue Anemones

 

 

Sandy's presence always makes the gallery feel special - the paintings themselves, and also peoples' reactions to them. The colour, tone, texture and beauty of his paintings are rarely unappreciated. From the art-lover who knows that there is something very special about these paintings, to the artist who wishes he or she could paint like him.






The paintings speak for themselves, but people always want to know more about the artist behind them. Sandy Murphy was born in Irvine in 1956.  He studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1975 to 1980.  Having taught art in Ayrshire schools, he turned his full attention to painting in 1985 and has never looked back

 

 

 

 

Church, Drymen,Winter



 

He has become one the country’s best painters and his work is loved and  respected by his contemporaries and art-lovers alike.  This is reflected by his many accolades and awards.  He has been the National Prize Winner of the Laing Competition several times. He has won the Sir Gillies Award (RSW), the Glasgow Art Club Fellowship award (RGI), amongst many others.  He was elected Royal Society of Watercolourists (RSW) in 1996, the Royal Glasgow Institute (RGI) in 2000 and also the Paisley Art Institute (PAI) in 2010.

 

 

This is such an impressive awards list, but for me, it's the respect from other successful artists that is so telling.  Most painters, if not all, think highly of him.  He is regarded as in a class of his own, and I completely agree with this.  

 

 

 

Spots and Stripes



I think he is so highly regarded by his contemporaries because of his talent, but also because of his motivation, his passion. For Sandy it's about the process itself.  He creates colour, texture, dark and light, working on the painting as it hangs in his studio, with not necessarily a finished result in mind. He has recently been working a lot with collage.





Coupling his talent with this place of freedom and purity is what leads to works that evoke mood, warmth, stillness, calm.  As never-ending as our spectrum of emotions.





Japanese Table

Sandy's honest expression through various media, whether it happens to be a still life or landscape leads to beauty. And this is what makes him such a special artist.  And I don't believe anyone has just one Sandy Murphy painting - if you like him, you love him!

As always they are selling fast.


Thanks for reading!


Natalie

Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI & David M Martin RSW RGI



All the paintings have arrived at the gallery for our upcoming two-person exhibition with Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI and David M Martin RSW RGI.

 

 

 

 

 

We are delighted to be hosting an exhibition of works by these two fine Scottish painters, opening on Sunday 19th April.

 

 

 

 

 

Sandy and David have long been admirers of one another and this promises to be a fabulous collaboration and a striking exhibition.

 

 

Hanging the exhibition will take a couple of days and when working with paintings of such quality, it is a great pleasure to see them coming together in harmony.

For much more on this exhibition, please visit the website:

http://www.smithygallery.com/


Thanks for reading!


Natalie

The End of The Process

This is the last weekend of the Sandy Murphy RSW RGI RGI exhibition.  Whilst there were many beautiful framed paintings in this exhibition, I think the stars of the show were the very many painting studies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are exquisite little mixed media, oil or gouache works that led to the larger paintings, but each one is a work of art in itself. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

These have been very reasonably priced and as a result many people have treated themselves to at least one beautiful work by Sandy Murphy.  Many people have commented on what a joy it is to see the process behind the final oil paintings.

 

 

All of the studies shown here are still available and are of course far more exquisite when seen in person!

 

Please do contact the gallery for more information about this exhibition.  It ends this Sunday at 5pm.

I want to send a huge thank you to Sandy Murphy for choosing Smithy Gallery for this special exhibition.  It has been an absolute joy to see the gallery full of inspired artists and very happy art-lovers.


Thanks for reading!

Natalie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Week

It is the last week of the Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI exhibition. And it has been a brilliant exhibition. So far! 

 

 

 

 

It has been one of our busiest exhibitions because not only are there are many collectors of Sandy Murphy's work all over the UK, but also so many artists are great admirers of his.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last four weeks we have experienced a constant flow of visitors and we hope for this to continue until the last day on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been a fascinating exhibition of the sketchbooks and studies that lead to the finished paintings. And the sales have happily reflected the appreciation of this process.

 

 

 

 

 

With half the exhibition sold, there are still many beautiful works available.  Somebody commented that this exhibition was a landmark for Sandy Murphy, but it has also been a landmark for Smithy Gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition continues until Sunday 13 October.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Natalie

Diversity

There are an unbelievable amount of beautiful paintings in our Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI exhibition.  We have had a record numbers of visitors from all over Scotland and also from Europe, coming especially to see the exhibition!   

 

 

 

Purple Cloth  oil on canvas  31x31ins

 

 

 

 

And this is why . . . .

Loudon Hill   acrylic on paper  13x16ins

 

 

 

 

Anyone who knows Sandy's work knows why he is one of Scotland's leading painters, but this exhibition has a particular diversity of works as we explore the process behind the finished paintings.

 

 

 

 

Hillside Ayrshire  oil on canvas  40x42ins

 

 

 

 

Shown here are just some of my favourite paintings, and studies that are presently unsold.

 

 

 

 

 

Study for Autumn Pines  charcoal on paper  17x22ins 

 

 

 

 

And from these examples, you can hopefully see the variety that is making this exhibition such a full experience for fans of Sandy Murphy's, for artists, and for art-lovers in general.

 

 

 

 

Lilac Sky  gouache on paper  15x15ins



 

 

There are around sixty small studies that have been flying off the walls.  These may be small, but they are meticulous in there detail, texture and colour just like the larger, finished pieces.



 

 

Study for Silver Flowe  mixed media  6x8ins

 

 

 

We have designed this exhibition to last five weeks as we know there are a lot of people still wanting to come and see it. Also many people like to re-visit as there is a lot to take in.

 

 

 

Autumn Trees  acrylic on paper  26x27ins

 

 

 

 

The exhibition continues until 13 October.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Natalie

 

The Artist's Artist

We are into the second week of our five week Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI exhibition and as I had hoped for, the appreciation of this artist's work has been phenomenal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is noticeable about this exhibition is the number of artists who have visited and bought paintings.  It is common for artists to swap paintings with each other, but quite a few have seen the painting that they have loved and gone for it without hesitation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandy has often been described as 'the artist's artist', and this is why.  His work is incredibly admired by his contemporaries, the sign of an incredible talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most painters look at Sandy's work in awe because of his complex but instinctive understanding and appreciation of colour and tone.  He has an uninhibited ability to create a painting out of completely unique tones and colours. Mixing, scraping back and remixing.  The completed painting is a layering of beautiful finishes from which the subject emerges.

 

Add to this texture, draughtsmanship, and passion and you have an outstandingly talented painter.

 

 

 

And of course it isn't just artists who love his work, and the sales testify to that.  Over thirty paintings have sold already and I am now glad at the amount of works we have managed to hang for this exhibition. There are plenty more for people to enjoy over the next three weeks.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Natalie

 

From The Sketchbook



The concept behind the current Sandy Murphy RSW RGI PAI exhibition is to turn the spotlight onto the process that occurs from the original idea conceived in the artist's sketchbook, onto its evolution into small mixed media and oil studies, and then eventually onto the finished painting.



 

Hillside Ayrshire  oil on canvas 40x42ins



 

 

 

Hillside Ayrshire is a beautiful example of the depth of tone and texture that is expressed in one of Sandy Murphy's paintings.  The finished piece is full of mood and feeling and perhaps what this artist is best known for: an extraordinary palette.  Each colour is a creation all of its own and the tones sing together in a symphony of subtlety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many studies involved in a painting like this, and it is a great pleasure to be able to see and appreciate them.  These have been beautifully presented as part of this exhibition.  Each piece stands alone, such is the quality of work, and as you can see they are all so different.


Already this has been a joyful and rich exhibition.  Thankfully it continues until 13 October.


Thanks for reading!


Natalie