Clippings
The Observer
November 26th, 2004
East York Artist Brings Italy to Greektown


Mediterranean comes to life on the canvas
By BRIAN TOWIE

   If you have a taste for foreign destinations, look no further than East York. Very soon, a local artist will bring Europe to you.
   East York resident Stephen Murphy will showcase his artwork at Todmorden Mills from Nov. 30 to Dec.5. The exhibit, titled Follow Me To Siena, features watercolours from Italian locales in Tuscany. Murphy along with the Antiguan ambassador, will be in attendance during the reception nights running from Dec 2 to 4.
    Murphy an Antiguan native who immigrated to Canada in 1976, said people are taken aback when they find out he is a fine artist.
   "I really want people to see me and what I'm doing" he said. "When they see me at 225 pounds, a big guy, I tell them I'm a painter, they think I paint walls or put up dry wall or something. But no, I'm a fine-artist painter.
   The east Toronto artist says the Italian towns he visited last year provide an aspiring painter with lots of beautiful scenes to put on canvas.
    "In Siena, there's this wonderful piazza called the Campo." Murphy said "The energy that emitted from that plaza is incredible. It's a wonderful place to paint. The light's always different. I found myself going there every day to paint and absorb the energy and the atmosphere of the place."

 
   Murphy, a part-time waiter, eventually wants to reach a point where he can make a living doing what the loves.
   "I had a full-time job waiting tables and I found myself coming home stressed every day and that's why I picked up the brush," he said. "I think in today's society, people get up and they're forced to go to jobs they don't really like. I think we really have to start to live our lives the way we want to. If you're driven, the destiny is there for you. You can make anything happen."
   According to the painter, Canadians need to take more of an interest in lesser-known artists and the work that the do. Murphy says he's working to make that a reality.
   "I'm striving to change the art frame of mind." he said. "To try to get people to acknowledge Canadian artists so that they don't have to go south of the border. I'm hoping that more people will understand, appreciate and buy Canadian art. Not just the Group of Seven stuff. There's a lot of young people out there with a lot of talent"  
   Murphy stressed that buying a piece of art from an unknown painter doesn't just support the local arts community, but is a lucrative investment for the buyer looking to make a long term profit.
   "Why put money into Nortel when you could put money in a fine piece of art that will gain value in the future?" he said.
 

 


 
 

 

Inside Toronto
February 16th, 2006

Review Not Yet Published

Inside Toronto
February 2, 2006

Beach-South Riverdale
Town Crier, January 2006

The East Toronto Observer
September 30th, 2005

Digital Journal.com
December 13th, 2004

The Observer
November 26th, 2004

Inside Toronto
November 26th, 2004

Town Crier
November 17th, 2004

Town Crier
October 16 th, 2003


Inside Toronto
June 20th, 2003


The Voice
June 5th, 2003


Inside Toronto
May 16th, 2003


etc...news, February 27th, 2003

 

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