Jemima Murphy’s Quest for the Sublime

The abstract expressionist paintings by Jemima Murphy (b. 1992, UK) reveal dreamlike landscapes inspired by the beauty of nature. Flurries of jewel-like colours dance across her canvases like flora and fauna swirling in motion. The artist does not aim to capture the natural world as it is, but rather to reveal its beauty and emotional power through lyrical abstraction. Working in urgent, intuitive, and gestural brushstrokes, the artist strives to express the ineffable and allows her paintings to reveal themselves in unexpected ways. The painter’s background in acting gives her a sense of performance and spontaneity as she moves across her large canvases, resulting in works that are continually transforming before our eyes. Oscillating between abstraction and figuration, Jemima’s practice is driven by a quest for the unknown and the sublime.

Jemima Murphy obtained her MFA from the City and Guilds of London Art School. Her recent exhibitions include ‘Tempest’ (solo) with Edji Gallery, Almine Rech, Artsy, Gillian Jason Gallery, Mint Gallery and Liliya Art Gallery. Furthermore, Murphy exhibited at The British Art Fair with Cynthia Corbett Gallery and was selected to be part of the Young Master's Art Prize in October 2022. Currently, her work is part of important collections including The Nixon Collection, Midas Collection in Los Angeles, Green Family Foundation in Texas, Not Another Art Club, and the Scalpel Building's personal collection in London.

Tell me about your background. Do you have any memories from your childhood that drove you to become an artist?

I’m from a large artistic family so I grew up always surrounded by art - in between London and the New Forest. My interest in nature and being outside started at a young age.

I spent most holidays there and owe lots of my inspiration to areas of my grandparents’ garden - the lake in particular, which many of my works are drawn from. It was my favourite place growing up and reminded me of a Rousseau painting - layered with tropical plants and giant leaves that make you feel you’re in a dreamlike landscape. I think I’ve always been interested in the mysteries and excitement of nature and the possibilities of the unknown and what lies beyond – which I always try to bring into my work.

I had always wanted to paint, and my earliest and fondest memories at school are always in art classes. It was so difficult to choose between Russian and Art for university, but I thought Russian would be a more realistic choice in terms of my career, and I was also so excited to live there. I don’t think I was brave enough to continue with art back then and didn’t really think it would be a possible career for me.

Describe your work in three words.

Nature, Movement, Sublime.

'Rupture II’ and ‘Blue Shuffle’ 2023, 200x160cm, oil on linen.

Your colourful dreamscapes contain explosive energy and exude intense emotion. What is the story behind your style and where do you draw inspiration from?

I think the sense of urgency and vitality in my work comes from my impulsive nature and impatience as a person - which has given me this instinctive and intuitive way of painting. I work fast and expressively and take advantage of my impatience, drawing on momentum and repetition of gestures, while using it to harness an idea or a feeling onto the canvas. There’s definitely a ‘release’ and ‘therapeutic approach’ to my brushstrokes too. My work is very emotionally driven so I take inspiration from personal experiences, places I’ve been, and people I’m close to. I think my style has shifted over the last year and become much freer and more energetic – my paintings flicker between representational and abstract which I think says a lot about how it has become more personal and psychological.

My style has become a conversation between me and my materials and how I respond to them – so it differs for every sitting and with every piece. It’s forever changing as it’s always dependent on how I’m feeling and how I choose to respond to the paint or drip in that moment.

Can you describe your creative process?

I have a very intuitive and instinctive way of working and tend not to think too much when I paint. The idea always comes to me in the first few layers when I allow mistakes to happen and explode onto the canvas faster than I can think – not knowing where a work is going is very important for my practice. Lots of my ideas evolve from material mistakes. To begin with, there is almost an automatic process that takes place where I try not to let the conscious interfere with the unconscious, and within that, material mistakes are made, offering me new ideas to help me move forward with the piece.

Part of the reason I enjoy working fast is because my practice actually requires speed to give me ideas – it enables me to give way to a more spontaneous way of working and leads to the likelihood of something going astray and something new happening. My relationship with my materials and what they allow me to achieve through this speed are inherent in my work and I aim for each mark to have a sense of purpose. If it doesn’t, I thrive on the repetition of gestures until something new emerges. My impulsive approach to working is also why my paintings can change drastically within seconds. I love taking risks and pushing boundaries.

I always listen to music very loudly when I paint (that way I can’t hear my own thoughts and I can focus fully on what I’m doing). Painting has become much more of a performative act for me and is very much about physically moving around in front of the canvas and sometimes dancing too while I paint – this also helps me be more spontaneous and daring when I work and enables me to fully immerse myself.

What is your approach to colour?

The same goes with my choice of colour in terms of spontaneity – I tend to choose the nearest tube to me and go from there. Very often I can’t even see what colour I’m picking up as it’s covered in paint anyway so it’s not until the paint goes onto the canvas when I realise I’ve chosen orange instead of black! I find it quite fun experimenting with colours this way and enjoy playing on these unplanned choices – I make fast, impulsive decisions when choosing colour which means I’m constantly experimenting and discovering new colours by accident – and I love working this way. It’s impossible trying to replicate colours in the future though!

How have your experiences of growing up in London, studying acting in New York and studying art in St. Petersburg shaped you as an artist?

Growing up in London has been so great - as an artist you’re spoilt for choice, and the same with St Petersburg. I remember painting a lot while I was there - the whole city is one enormous museum and it’s so beautiful.

I think studying acting in New York has brought out that performative style of my work which feels immersive at times, particularly in my large-scale works. I suppose in the same way that acting is a means of personal and human expression, I’ve found a different way to channel it through paint - I think my experience on stage has probably unconsciously helped me make braver and bolder choices when it comes to painting and perhaps helped me jump into the more personal and intense side of my works.

Are there any artists who have especially inspired you?

Lee Krasner. There are two paintings: ‘Seasons’ and ‘Encaged’ that have hugely inspired and influenced my work. I remember a clear shift in my work after going to see a show at the Albertina with all my favourite abstract expressionists: Mark Rothko, Willem De Kooning, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. She was and has always been the stand-out for me and is someone I constantly refer back to both thematically and visually. I also love Joan Mitchell and Cecily Brown. The Monet - Mitchell show in Paris was one of the best things I’ve ever seen!

What would be a dream project for you to work on?

My dream project would be to create a thrust stage of works along three large walls so it can read almost as though the viewer is part of the audience and becomes a fully immersive experience for the viewer to walk through.

What are you working on next?

I feel very lucky that I have a few projects coming up and happen to be very busy at the moment - I’m currently working on some large-scale diptychs which I’m really excited about!