Peter Murphy Biography
Peter Murphy Born 1959 in Leeds, moved to Liverpool and later Durham. Educated at Jacob Kramer College of Art and the University of East London. Trained with iconographer Guillem Ramos Poqui in London. Murphy uses traditional techniques from medieval religious painting, including egg tempera paint and gold leaf. He was Vice Chairman of the Society of Tempera Painters and is a member of The British Association of Iconographers, he runs courses in the UK, Greece and Italy teaching these techniques. He has been commissioned by a number of churches in the UK, notably Tewkesbury Abbey and Hereford Cathedral. He has also been employed by a number of museums for special exhibitions, he has recreated a triptych by Simone Martini for The Barber Institute of Fine Arts and created a mural of ten scenes from the life of Benedict Biscop for Bede's World Museum in Jarrow. He was one of a team on a Rolf Harris TV show which recreated a Botticelli painting in a week. As well as traditional religious subject matter, he has used the same techniques to create a series of striking iconic depictions of his musical heroes, including Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. He formed a Broadstairs Stuckist group in 2005 and has exibited with the group on several occassions since. He has just completed a third major commission for Hereford Cathedral, which was installed in Spring 2009.