White Rose

"THE red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove."

John Boyle O'Reilly

I've fallen in love with granulating pigments and the one I used in the leaves is one of my favourites - out of the tube it looks like a dull green and then it separates into coppers and turquoise.

Yellow Rose

There is a rhythm to life, its ups and downs, its side steps, its change of pace and theme.

Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour
Acrylic and ink on canvas
90cm x 90cm

My husband laughs at me when I paint on canvas - I paint and then I paint over and then I paint over again. One of the benefits to me is that canvas can be reused, that acrylics and oils can be overpainted time and time again. I might not paint the same picture but I paint, and with each painting I learn from mistakes, from small successes. This canvas has beneath its layers at least 5 other seascapes. In moments of wild fantasy I imagine art historians of the future looking at my paintings, studying the layers through x-rays and saying, "Yes, this must be an Anita Murphy. There are several paintings underneath the surface painting!" In my dreams!

Watercolour study for Darkest Hour
15cm x 15cm