Sandra Murphy's Joyous Realism

Sandra Murphy is the third female artist showing in A Journey into Realism, on March 28th - April 15th 2017. In this show, Sandra’s work provides a nice bridge between the works of Denise Antaya and Nancy Calder, as she focuses on florals in her work, bringing together both nature and still-life.  Sandra does not seek to provoke through her work, instead, she paints decidedly “pretty pictures,” and “enjoys the challenge of trying to capture them on the canvas before they change, wilt or die.” In these often contentious times, politically or otherwise, Sandra’s work “attempts to bring a bit of lasting beauty into the world,” and she succeeds. 

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In Fall Bouquet we can see Sandra’s focus on color, with joyous colors popping in contrast to the grey background. In Azaleas in Ginger, color is used to frame the crisp white blooms. The contrasting textures in this piece work to draw the viewer into the composition: the softness of the red fabric with the smooth porcelain and chrome elements. While simplistic in their subject matter, Sandra’s works show great technique. Sandra is based out of Toronto and is also a graduate of the Academy of Realism. Today, she works on her art full-time, and A Journey into Realism is her first showing at Westland Gallery.