Tom Murphy (artist)
Encyclopedia
Tom Murphy is an English artist.
He is a self taught artist, starting his artistic career initially as a hobby and moved quickly to an intense period of self-study, mastering a range of techniques in many art disciplines.
Previously he worked in a number of occupations which included; a seaman, salesman, musician and impressionist in a pop group.
Later he graduated as a teacher at Liverpool John Moores University and taught art at the City of Liverpool Community College. He also worked at a Centre for People with Learning Difficulties. His differing careers and interest in the characteristics of people have both acted as a rich source of inspiration in both his paintings and sculptures.
His early experimenting in painting was finally appreciated when he won first prize in the prestigious BBC
'Art 88' competition. His big success in sculpture came in 1996 when his 7" 6' (226.8 centimetres) sculpture of John Lennon was seen by a representative of major Liverpool Company, Littlewoods
. He was commissioned to sculpt two monumental size bronzes of the Moores brothers for Liverpool's premier shopping area Church Street.
His work is all over the city of Liverpool
as well as in Chorley
, Lancashire
, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley
, Merseyside
, Germany
and New York
. He has also sold many smaller works around the world.
He is the first choice of Sculptor for all the major Liverpool institutions and in 2003, he was voted by Radio Merseyside listeners and Liverpool Echo readers as the 76th Greatest Merseysider.
Now his work is known all over the world since creating the iconic statue of John Lennon at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport which was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and attended by John Lennon
's widow, Yoko Ono
. His sculptures of Ken Dodd
and Bessie Braddock
, commissioned by Merseytravel are sited at Lime Street Railway Station, Liverpool. His bronze statue of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson
was errected in front of the railway station in St George's Square, Huddersfield (Wilson's home town). It was unveiled by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the presence of Wilson's widow, Mary, in 1997. Though best known for his large sculptures, he has always maintained his interest in a wide range of art disciplines and sectors. An accomplished painter, he has been commissioned to paint many key Merseyside figures including the official retirement portrait of Mr John Moores.
He is a self taught artist, starting his artistic career initially as a hobby and moved quickly to an intense period of self-study, mastering a range of techniques in many art disciplines.
Previously he worked in a number of occupations which included; a seaman, salesman, musician and impressionist in a pop group.
Later he graduated as a teacher at Liverpool John Moores University and taught art at the City of Liverpool Community College. He also worked at a Centre for People with Learning Difficulties. His differing careers and interest in the characteristics of people have both acted as a rich source of inspiration in both his paintings and sculptures.
His early experimenting in painting was finally appreciated when he won first prize in the prestigious BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
'Art 88' competition. His big success in sculpture came in 1996 when his 7" 6' (226.8 centimetres) sculpture of John Lennon was seen by a representative of major Liverpool Company, Littlewoods
Littlewoods
Littlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling company founded in Liverpool, Merseyside, England by John Moores in 1923.It started as a shopping catalogue company, processing orders by post in the early 1970s. In 1981, it expanded to a call centre, processing orders via telephone. At its...
. He was commissioned to sculpt two monumental size bronzes of the Moores brothers for Liverpool's premier shopping area Church Street.
His work is all over the city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
as well as in Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley
Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It comprises the towns of Kirkby, Prescot, Huyton, Whiston, Halewood and Cronton; Kirkby, Huyton, and Prescot being the major commercial centres...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He has also sold many smaller works around the world.
He is the first choice of Sculptor for all the major Liverpool institutions and in 2003, he was voted by Radio Merseyside listeners and Liverpool Echo readers as the 76th Greatest Merseysider.
Now his work is known all over the world since creating the iconic statue of John Lennon at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport which was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and attended by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's widow, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
. His sculptures of Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
and Bessie Braddock
Bessie Braddock
Elizabeth Margaret Braddock JP , better known as Bessie Braddock, was a British Labour politician...
, commissioned by Merseytravel are sited at Lime Street Railway Station, Liverpool. His bronze statue of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
was errected in front of the railway station in St George's Square, Huddersfield (Wilson's home town). It was unveiled by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the presence of Wilson's widow, Mary, in 1997. Though best known for his large sculptures, he has always maintained his interest in a wide range of art disciplines and sectors. An accomplished painter, he has been commissioned to paint many key Merseyside figures including the official retirement portrait of Mr John Moores.