Tamara Murphy’s aesthetic focus on playful, brutalist design allows her to explore forms intuitively while highlighting the surface area and materials she builds with. She defines her color palette with consideration to visual themes of the 1960s California Light and Space movement with a contemporary sensitivity regarding material and form. She incorporates local materials such as wild clay, sand, and agricultural waste products into her work to develop a connection with local ecology- connecting each artwork to the habitat it is surrounded by. Functionality is an ethical choice- a decision to prioritize the energy used to create an object that is as useful as it is beautiful.
Tamara Murphy received her BFA from Chico State University in ceramics and glass while sustaining a 3-year neon apprenticeship with artist Patrick Collentine. She is currently teaching at Chico State University and Butte Community College while exhibiting work around California including a solo show at 1078 Gallery in Chico.
