Michael Murphy is an American artist and architect from San Francisco, where he practiced architecture for approximately six years before moving to London, UK. The experience of living abroad for ten years was instrumental in the formation of his current aesthetic tastes as well as the profound re-appreciation of San Francisco’s architecture upon his return in 2008. 

It is because of these renewed impressions of San Francisco that he created the series "Forgotten Modernism" which is the title of a visual exploration of San Francisco's rich catalogue of modern architecture.   Often overlooked, Modern architecture in San Francisco has played an important role in the ongoing Modernist Movement, and this work is an attempt to acknowledge the contribution that these stunning buildings make to the visual landscape.   Using bold colors and a stylized graphics, he portrays this architecture not as something that quietly blends into a background, but rather elevating achievements that embody the best and highest principles that Modern architecture has to offer all of us.

Recently, he has expanded his subject matter to include the architecture of cities outside of San Francisco, as well as his most recent work, an attempt to capture the essence of San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art and it’s surrounding context of 20^th Century architecture.

Michael has exhibited his work in London, Amsterdam, Valencia, Tokyo and within the US in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Painting affords me the opportunity to express my observations of the world around me. My artistic endeavors focus on a personal interpretation of the relationships I see created by subjects in their immediate environment. The content of my work incorporates primarily still life, people and nature. The visual exchanges created by a vase on a shelf in the morning sun, a Japanese maple leaf outside my door or an old man sitting beside a building in Greece can be the inspiration. I am drawn to the challenge of capturing the fleeting moment and reinterpreting it to the best of my abilities. Painting then becomes an entity unto itself. Forming my own image within the dictates of a two dimensional format, such as watercolor, presents many issues to consider- color, form, rhythm, texture and light maintain an integral part of the interplay. Every painting presents individual complexities. My intent is that the resulting piece will be a unique extension of my vision and efforts.

More than getting a likeness in a portrait or a believable figure painting, I continue to portray a situation the subject(s) find themselves in, be it comical, emotional, characteristic, or a surprising statement of an unconcious truth.

I believe art changes our perceptions of the people and world around us, broadening our perspectives in ways that cultivate greater respect for humanity and nature.

I work mostly with acrylics, but lately I have been mixing photography and other media into my paintings, using real world subjects to create images of worlds I imagine. Currently, I find myself depicting humanity coming to terms with the immutability of Mother Nature: jungles overtake urban settings and cityscapes grow out of trees. 

In 2012 I returned to San Francisco after living in Costa Rica for four years where I opened an art gallery in an isolated village visited by international travelers drawn to the unspoiled  jungle and beaches. There I was able to immerse myself in painting, selling not only my originals, but also, more than a thousand travel-friendly reproductions. This has given me a good sense of what people like in my work. 

My studio is in the Mission District on Clarion Alley, a location covered with murals and frequented by art-loving tourists from around the world. I am almost always there Thursday through Sunday in the afternoon. Stop by and take a look.

I think photography is an incredible way of telling stories.
The reward of finding moments and distilling feelings, to me, is like making magic. I don’t know about you, but I see pictures wherever I am.

Please Stay on Paths is a collection of images that detail the nature, the unexpected, inside the city. Golden Gate Park has always provided a wealth of secret, quiet intense images for me and has been an oasis and a refuge from city life.

My photography has been seen in the San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, San Francisco magazine, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the San Francisco Examiner, SHOTS magazine, The Urbanist, SFist.com, The Huffington Post, The Bold Italic and 7×7.com. My work has appeared in juried shows and galleries in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vermont, Minneapolis, Virginia, and New Orleans.

A central theme of my painting is contemporary life with historical and metaphysical influences creeping in. I focus on relationships of anonymity versus personal expression characterized often as cultural relics in a sense like my painting, "Aura Projector", reflecting a horror show element of modern dystopia. I like horror shows, don't get me wrong, ...I believe in the cultural utility of paintings as spiritual companions.

The intersection of line and color create the journey.  To create.  To bring forth what is inside.  To share the journey that takes one home without ever leaving it.