Bill Murphy
Profession & company: Artist/ Teacher
How do you celebrate your Irishness? I listen to The Pogues, Van Morrison and Larry Kirwan; I read William Butler Yates; and I watch My Left Foot and The Commitments.
Name a maritime hero you admire and why? John A Noble, the maritime artist. I was lucky to have known him when I started out as an artist, as he lived not far from me on Staten Island. He had an unwavering commitment to putting down on paper what he experienced as a sailor during the last days of the wooden shipping industry, without sugar coating or exploiting it.
What did you learn in your first job, which has been useful to you throughout the career? My first job, when I was 16, was as a 'runner' (now messenger) on Wall St. It was the first, but not the last time, I learnt that finding out what you do not want is as important as finding something that calls to you.
Biography: Bill Murphy is a painter / printmaker based on Staten Island, New York. He was educated at the School of Visual Arts (BFA), Vermont College (MFA), and the Art Students League. He has worked in multiple mediums, including printmaking, painting and drawing. Murphy has mounted numerous one and two person shows and participated in many national juried exhibits. Included in the venues he has shown are: The National Academy of Design, The New York Historical Society, the Old Print Shop Gallery (NYC), Susan Teller Gallery (NYC), and Syracuse University.
His work is included in many public and private collections, including: The British Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, New York Public Library, Newark Public Library, The 9/11 Memorial Museum, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Murphy was a Professor of Visual Arts at Wagner College on Staten Island for 36 years, retiring in 2020. Currently he teaches drawing at the Art Students League of New York.
