PATRICK MURPHY

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I was born in Rochester, NY in 1952. I lived outside Rochester in Webster, NY. During my years in grammar school I loved and excelled in art. I won a first place award in a local art club show. I drew constantly in grammar school and began oil painting in high school after a neighbor gave up paint by number and gave me her set of oil paints. My first college experience was a summer course at the Boston Museum School. This is when I started getting very serious about art and drawing in particular. I studied Rembrandt and Degas. That fall I attended Rosary Hill College in Buffalo NY.  There I met Philip Morsberger who as my drawing instructor and mentor and who became a huge influence in my life and art. Morsberger was about to become headmaster of the Ruskin School of Drawing which is Oxford University’s Art School. I submitted 12 drawings and was accepted. The curriculum was an extremely “academic” which meant very 19th Century. We spent the first year 6-8 hrs. per day either painting still life’s or sketching from the universities huge collection of life size casts of Greek and Roman Statues. The second and third years were spent in the “Life Room” painting and drawing from the model. The training was intense. I graduated with the only “first” in both painting and drawing.
After Oxford I attended the University of Montana in Missoula where I was one of three Graduate Assistants. My job was to teach undergrads general art. This where I discovered I enjoyed teaching.  I eventually became a High School art teacher.