Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Murphy.
Dan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I used to work at The Brookline Spa (don’t get any ideas; it’s just a sandwich shop). It paid for my beer and food through school. I was studying painting and I asked my boss Cliff if I could hang a couple pieces in the shop. He agreed and so became my first public art appearance in the big wide world of the little old sandwich shop.
It was a Saturday afternoon in September when Tommy May came through the door. He frequented the place, but I hadn’t really met him because I was just starting to work the front counter. He commented on the artwork, so we started talking as I heated up a slice of pizza for him.
“You should join our art group. A bunch of us get together on Monday nights in a basement. We paint and watch football over a few beers. We take the summers off, but we’re starting up next week. Give me a call when you get out of work on Monday. It’s up on Addington road.”
This kind invite from a complete stranger opened the door to my life as a painter post-college, and it’s the reason I continue to grow as a painter today.
For seven years now, I have participated in Monday Night Art with a group of guys from all levels of painting. Good laughs, great friends and mentors, beautiful art, and some tough Tuesday mornings have come out of it.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Lately, I’ve been painting a collection of mail trucks. I work down by the fort point channel, and I often pass by a huge lot of mail trucks. They’ve always looked to me like animals grazing in the field, and I know these animals, just like us, probably won’t be out there forever. I think it is important that I record this beautiful, living, breathing species before it becomes extinct.
What is success to you and what quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success is when I can get sit down, set up my paints, and put brush to canvas. Like anything, the one who can bypass any potential distractions/excuses not to sit down and paint more is the one who will succeed as an artist.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I participate in Roslindale Open Studios every fall. I also post my work on Instagram @murphyd52.
Contact Info:
- Website: danmurphy.work/art
- Instagram: @murphyd52
Image Credit:
Casey Smith
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