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Charles
Murphy grew up in southern Minnesota and remembers always wanting to be
a painter. His grandfather, who was fluent with a pencil, served as his
earliest inspiration.
Graduating from Minnesota State University
with his BFA in Studio Art, he set off for Cape Cod to immerse himself
in a community of artists. After his first taste of painting and
exhibiting on the East Coast, he settled in the Grand Traverse Bay Area
of northern Michigan where he again found himself in a large community
of artists. For several years, Murphy exhibited in art fairs around the
state, garnering awards and a large audience of collectors. With
additional assistance from galleries and dealers who represent him, his
work found its way into many large corporate collections such as Kraft,
General Motors, Prudential, Mead Corporation, International Harvester,
U.S. Gypsum and John Hancock.
While his
career as a painter took form he supplemented his income through another
of his interests, woodworking. Murphy spent a number of years designing
furniture and cabinet making for shops in the Grand Traverse region.
Seeking greater fulfillment from his painting, he set the woodworking
aside and began teaching painting classes and workshops at regional art
centers. Expanding on this experience he has undertaken more travel for
his own painting as well as the opportunity to teach in a variety of
environments. These pursuits have taken him around the U.S. to France,
Spain, Italy, Nova Scotia, Hawaii and the Caribbean.
Charles has illustrated two books; the
first, a collaboration with a young, learning disabled writer yielding
the award winning "Reach for the Moon," published by
Scholastic and the second, a children's book titled "Smokey the
Raccoon," published by P.J. Publishing. In 2002 Charles was
flattered to have his work, selected for publication in Artists'
Magazine's 2002 limited edition calendar. The calendar features 13
artists juried from a field of 13,000. The Traverse Area Arts Council
named Charles "Art Educator of the Year" in 2003. For
information on scheduled classes and workshops, 231.941.9488. He
currently teaches painting during Fall, Winter and Spring programs at
the Art Center in Traverse City, Michigan.
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