Divine art show launched in Laois
Artist Ray Murphy (left) at the launch in Bloom HQ
AN art exhibition by artist and art tutor Ray Murphy was launched in The Gallery of Divine Inspiration at Bloom HQ, Mountrath and will run throughout August, featuring a poignant piece titled Pieta – Gaza which depicts a father holding his deceased son in his arms.
Born in Cork, Ray moved to Dublin in 1989 before taking on the role of live-in caretaker in Emo Court House. Two of his three children were born in Emo Court House during his 21 years there and his family are the last family to have lived in the huge mansion, where they resided until 2016. The family moved back to Kanturk in Cork in 2023, where Ray now has his art studio.
The talented and dedicated artist travels from Cork by train every single Monday to teach his beloved Redline Art Group, which he founded in 2010 in his cottage in Redline, Portarlington, hence the name.
The Redline Art group meets in Killenard Community Centre every week. Ray has proudly kept the group together for over 15 years, which is quite unusual in the art world and the amazing group exhibited their works in the same venue during the month of July.
Before the launch, Ray told the Laois Nationalist that he works in graphite, pen and ink and mainly oils. He said that his subject matter varies from environmental to social issues.
Ray said: “I was born opposite the MTU Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork and I hung around the Crawford Gallery looking at the art, until I left home at 18. I was always drawing when I was young and my wife Siobhán still keeps the first drawing that I did. It’s of a horse jumping over railings.
“I’m a figurative artist, although I have departed slightly with this exhibition by freeing it up more. I have done a Gaza painting with a paintbrush from start to finish in the one sitting, which is unusual for me because I’m usually kind of a Dutch artist.
“I have changed over the last couple of months, because of a book I read titled Thunderclap by a woman in England called Laura Cumming. The book is based on Dutch artist Karl Fabritius, a student of Rembrandt, who died in an explosion in 1654 aged just 32. The book changed my life when I read it and I’ve read it three times. Laura is so articulate in explaining art, Dutch art and her father’s art.
“In the book, Laura spoke about her father’s grey-green eyes and how she would love to see those eyes again, so I’m doing a painting of his face in colour and I’m going to send it over to her as a way of thanks for her wonderful book, that has enlightened me so much.”
Well-known artist Kevin McCann is the curator of the Gallery of Divine Inspiration at Bloom HQ. Commenting on Ray’s exhibition, he said: “It is an absolute pleasure to have Ray Murphy exhibiting his work with us for the month of August. He’s a fabulous artist. He is not just a painting artist; he is a bit of a musician and a character as well. I am very impressed with his works which are all reasonably priced. Fair play to him for coming all the way from Cork to display his works here in Mountrath.”
Ray's wonderful display can be viewed throughout the corridors of Bloom HQ until the end of August. Ray Murphy Art can be found on Instagram and further enquiries can be made at the reception desk or by phoning Bloom HQ on 057 9300036.
