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THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Touch of the Caribbean at The Learning Club
Mar 24, 2004
Only the luckiest people have discovered their own private little hide-away where the door is always locked to unwelcome visitors like stress. Count Mississauga artist Fanzia Murphy among the lucky ones.
Until April 10, Murphy, along with eight other artists, is exhibiting her work at the Learning Club & Fine Art Gallery at 354 Queen St. S. in Streetsville.
Born on the island of Trinidad, Murphy felt an affinity for the ocean and beautiful sunsets from early on. She moved to Canada in 1981, and now wants to recapture those feelings.
"I found myself daydreaming about the sights and sounds of the ocean when I became weary," said Murphy. "Then my son Adam suggested I take up painting, and I will be forever grateful."
Murphy has provided eight paintings for the show. Most of the subject matter relates to her peaceful past.
One highlight is Murphy's self-portrait, depicting her relaxing alone on the beach and staring blissfully out to sea. Entitled, Tranquility, this 24x36 inch acrylic on canvas is selling at $1,500. The blue and turquoise hues of the sea complement the soft beige tones of the sand in the foreground to create a calming effect for the viewer.
Another Caribbean setting on canvas, entitled My Sunset, evokes a similar peaceful mood.
"This particular scene," said Murphy, "is set in Tobago using the ocean as a backdrop. The focal point is an old pier. It shows two people sitting on the pier, gazing out to sea. I painted it from a photograph because the pier is no longer standing. It's now a designated heritage site."
This 24x36 inch peaceful Tobago depiction is priced to sell quickly at $1,500.
All eight of Murphy's schematic paintings are acrylic on canvas. Her work exudes the influence of the Impressionist period and such artists as Monet and Degas, but the interpretation is clearly in Murphy's individual style. Her price range is $110-$1,500.
Murphy considers herself a self-taught artist. She dabbles in charcoal, but her medium of choice is acrylic.
The show boasts the work of several artists and sculptors fully lining the walls and hallways of The Learning Club with about 12 sculptures and over 50 paintings in a variety of styles and mediums. Some of the better-known contributing artists are Paul
Magowan and Joan Spavins, followed by Gerry Manno, Marianne Morris and Margaret Vokes. The sculptors are Holly Ferguson, Iain Headon and Silvio Mastrodascio.
NEW YORK
Press Release
An amber striped horizon at dawn, the luminous space where sky and ocean are welded nearly seamlessly together, the complex and sometimes vast fluctuations of weather on the coast and at sea: these are the subjects of Fanzia Murphy's art. Murphy was born in Trinidad, West Indies, an island celebrated for its magnificent beaches. It is here that she developed a deep interest in the power and ever-changing appearance of the ocean. Greatly inspired by the masters of French Impressionism, Murphy paints in a style that captures the essence of color and light in a landscape with fluid brushstrokes and a rich palette. Acrylic paintings on canvas, Murphy's work reveals her intense love of the ocean in all its various manifestations-cool and silvery under an overcast sky, or fiery as the sun ascends from darkness, or transparent blue on a summer afternoon. Murphy now lives in Ontario, Canada, where she continues to paint tropical beaches, in addition to her local Muskoka landscapes.
©2008 Art by Fanzia 
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