Murphy paints for seven hours six days a week.
“It’s what I do,” he said.
The artist’s subjects range from landscapes to still life to nearly abstract nudes.
“My purpose as an artist is not primarily to express feelings and emotions but to generate them in the viewer,” he said.
His paintings do just that. Thick brush strokes elicit feelings of joy and importance in the viewer no matter what the subject is.
“Christus is able to make his oil paintings sing for the viewer with the fluidity in his brushstrokes, use of distortion and his years of insight,” said Theresa Stewart Hupp, owner of Stewart Gallery.
Murphy’s technique has been honed over constant practice over the years. Even though he went nearly twenty years without painting because he was disillusioned, he picked it right back up again.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/entertainment-life/arts-literature/christus-murphy-strives-to-generate-emotions-with-his-art/article_6600b1ea-1eca-5b42-b1f2-44e3ee457974.html
“The way the paint goes on the canvas is so important,” he said.
If you’re frustrated with your artistic abilities, think about signing up for a class in oil painting today. Oil is the type of art most revered by the masters, but don’t let that intimidate you. With careful instruction and practice, all students will be able to successfully create their own oil masterpieces. Lessons will begin by covering the basics, including how to mix colors, using chemicals and other materials for different effects on the paint, and brushstrokes.