Lora Murphy
About Lora
I have always been fascinated by faces and from childhood, that is what I really wanted to paint and draw. All of my school books had doodles of eyes and lips, faces and figures. I remember clearly the discovery of perspective. I was about 7 years old and I had made a drawing of a group of people. Suddenly I realized that if I made a line behind the figures I could place them in a room. From that moment on I was totally hooked. I loved the old master Portraits and would look at them for hours, copying them in my sketchbooks and later trying to paint them. It was a real voyage of discovery and the joy and wonder of it has never left me. I still feel such a sense of amazement when I look at faces and try to analyse how the light hits and the cheeks curve or how the halftones can render the sense of volume. I love how the placement of colour can indicate shadows or reflected light and I get such a sense of joy from a portrait that I am satisfied with. The discovery of Encaustic was a game changer for me. I trained as an oil painter and was introduced to encaustic about 15 years ago. I remember painting my first piece but tears running down my face… I felt I had come home and that profound emotion has never left me.
You can view Lora’s work at:
www.loramurphyartist.com
www.facebook.com/Lora-Murphy-Artist-897419687040573
www.instagram.com/lora_murphy_paintings
Class Details
Ancient Light: Painting with Egg Tempera
This class explores egg tempera, one of the oldest known painting techniques, used for centuries in Byzantine icons and Renaissance panels. Students learn how this simple mixture of egg yolk and pigment creates luminous, layered paintings with remarkable permanence.
What you will learn:
The history of egg tempera and its role in early painting traditions
Preparing the medium from egg yolk and pigment
Working on gessoed panels or prepared surfaces
Building transparent layers and cross-hatching techniques
Creating luminous colour and fine detail
Then putting this information into a contemporary context with wax techniques both hot and cold
Hands-on historical technique using accessible, low-toxic materials
Creating a sense of connection to centuries of artists.
Earth & Alchemy: Texture and Atmosphere with Cold Wax
This class investigates non toxic cold wax medium (made without solvent) as a way to build rich textures and atmospheric surfaces on portraits. We will experiment with layering, scraping, incising, and embedding marks to create expressive contemporary paintings.
What you will learn:
Understanding cold wax medium and oil paint mixtures and learn how to easily make your own exactly as you like it.
Techniques for building textured surfaces
Scraping, carving, and subtractive mark-making
Creating depth through layering and translucency
Developing abstract compositions inspired by natural materials
Using this mixture on your existing painting
We will work intuitively with palette knives, brushes, brayers, and mark-making tools to create paintings that feel earthy, tactile, and archaeological, echoing ancient surfaces while remaining contemporary.
