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ARTIST: Laura Murphy
 Laura Murphy still recalls the day she learned about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar
into a butterfly. "There's a phase in the middle where there is nothing but goo left in the chrysalis. The
butterfly literally rebuilds itself from complete disintegration."
Rebuilding is at the heart of Murphy's work -- her passion lies in
recycling old and discarded materials, "participating in a cycle of death and renewal." Her
best works reflect that passion. The sculpture "Tree Book" rises
tremulously from its base, ruffled pages of a book sprouting airy willow branches. Low-fire
ceramic, natural materials and dye, papier mache and handmade, denim paper
make up the work, one of her most outspoken environmental statements.
As statements go, it's more of a gentle reminder -- a hint that we might do
well to think carefully about all the consumption around us.This gentle
touch runs through all of Murphy's work: goddess paintings celebrate the
innocuous rituals of planting and marking the changing of the seasons. But
there is a harder truth to tell here, as well. Murphy's paintings flow
with multiple folds of flesh -- her unflinching depictions of unsettlingly
large women with androgynous faces explore an alternative beauty beyond the tucked and
brushed ideal of a goddess in our society. These straightforward, full-frontal
shots of women in their imperfect bodies hark to the devastatingly honest
portraits of Alice Neel. At the same time, soft, earthy colors and
dreamy lines lend grace to figures typically associated with awkwardness
in our society.
Her sculptures and installations share that same sense of ease. "Seed
Bowl" honors the quiet, easy perfection of nature -- muted colors
and graceful curves display a complex geometric pattern of arranged bowl-gourd
seeds. Her "abc" series of garden installations also served as maquettes for a larger project tentatively
scheduled with the US Forest Service. Clusters of hungry-looking
clay cones crowd together, vaguely reminiscent of an unruly bouquet of calla lilies. The
material is unglazed and raw -- it is designed to break down over time,
bending to the will of nature, until, at last, carefully placed seeds sprout and
take hold. Plants chosen for their hardiness and environmental
benefits stand in the wake of the collapsed, woman-made structure.
The contrast between
delicate vulnerability and the unrelenting power of nature is an arching
theme in Murphy's work. It is a perennial question with roots
in various women's movements; the issue finds expression both in her movement between
fine art and traditional women's crafts, and in her driven commitment
to community involvement. Murphy wears a stack of weighty
hats: she serves as the assistant gallery director and an art instructor at Adams
State College, organizes and participates in a variety of online and real-time arts forums, and
volunteers for worthy causes as diverse as poverty and capital
punishment.
That collaborative, inclusive approach to art making -- and to living
-- channels much of the power of Judy Chicago's work. Chicago knew that a woman
committed to honoring the feminine in our society has her work cut out
for her, and Murphy has proven she's up to the challenge.The balance between hard
work and peaceful healing -- power and vulnerability -- must grow from
the ashes of old understandings. Like changing into a butterfly, the process
requires the faith to break down into nothing; the most remarkable
quality of Murphy's work is the clarity within that balance.
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