The first time I saw the artworks of Tanya Murphy, they felt very familiar. Their earthiness took me back to my southern roots, her old photographs on top of old photographs, sealed in a shellac that seemed to freeze them in time. They evoked the spirit of grandmothers and grandfathers past but still here in memory.
Last weekend, I came across Murphy’s artwork again at the Harlem Fine Arts Show, which billed itself as a continuation of the National Black Fine Art Show. I had made the trek to New York quite often for the national show, which for 14 years drew some major U.S. galleries that sold African American art. Offering a wonderful display of art, the show has been discontinued but according to its website, it will be back.
The Harlem show is in its infancy and as such is still on wobbly legs. It lacked the top-name galleries – I believe only one or two galleries were there. According to the site, 100 emerging and established artists would be featured at the show. Most of the artists felt more emerging that established, and seemed to be still finding their way.
A few stood out for me. The most notable was Murphy, whose “Men of Color to Arms” had a historical bent like much of her other works. It focused on black Civil War soldiers who had heeded President Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’ calls to join the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact, there were two pieces, both slightly different but with the same message. (Click here to see a full view of both of them.) More than 180,000 free blacks and slaves fought in that war.
I was drawn to Murphy’s artwork because of my love of history and auctions. Her works are of the past, much like the items I find all the time on the auction tables. She imbibes them with freshness through her artistic technique but retains the sense of history inherent in them.
Tanya creates what she calls layered mixed media art. Here’s how she described her process on her blog and here’s a video of her demonstrating it:
“These artworks incorporate various layered media like figurative collage relief, acrylic paint, vinyl, wood and found objects with her original photographs. She also utilizes vintage, alternative photo sensitive chemicals which are applied to paper and other substrates. Most notably she enjoys creating with her hand-made (4×5-inch film) pinhole box camera to ‘draw with light.'”
Murphy, who lives in Philadelphia, said that she started out as a painter and learned to combine that art form with her own photography. She first began hand-painting her photographs in 1996. She also uses old photographs of her family, she said, and she combs antique shops for others. She superimposes the photos one atop the other in a relief form to create her own brand of art.
In her most recent book, she talks about both creating and collecting art. Which piece is her favorite, she is often asked. She can’t pick one, she answered in the book. “I love each artwork fondly, like a child that is in my care.”
Murphy’s first book, “Southern Connections,” grew out of her trip to Dillon County, SC, to connect to her roots. With her camera, she photographed the places where her ancestors lived and worshipped, listened to their oral histories and walked the roads that they strode. The book contains photographs and mixed-media art.
