About the Artist
Artist Statement/Bio
JoEllen works primarily in oil with an emphasis on keeping her work both loose and impressionistic. Recently, she has been working with cold wax and oil which she feels gives her work a more contemporary abstract look.
Her paintings have won numerous awards in national shows as well as plein air events. She also has been featured in several art magazines.
Here’s an excerpt from Plein Air Magazine article:
Punctuated by bursts of color, JoEllen Murphy’s paintings balance tranquility with lively vibrance. She captures landscapes, garden scenes and architectural details with a style that’s both painterly and confident. “There’s a spontaneity to my work that has come mainly from all the plein air work I’ve done,” she says. “It’s given me my sense of style for loose landscapes.”
Her background includes a BFA degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and an early career as a Medical Illustrator. However, most of her working life was spent as an art director at The Washington Post where she honed her sense of design and color. After leaving the Post in 2008, she focused on her new path of becoming a fine artist.
She exhibits annually as a juried member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. Her paintings are featured in numerous permanent collections that include The National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland and the U.S. Department of State Works on Paper Collection, in Washington, D.C.
JoEllen is featured in the October/November issue of Plein Air magazine describing her pastel technique for painting on location.
Awards
First Place, Shades of Pastel national exhibition, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD, 2019
Merit Award, Shades of Pastel national exhibition, Rockville, MD, 2017
Landscape Award, Shades of Pastel national exhibition, Washington DC, 2015
Second Place, Solomons Plein Air Festival, Solomons, Maryland, 2015
First Place, Frostburg Quick Draw, Mountain Maryland Plein Air, 2015
Honorable mention, Paint the Town Chestertown Quick Draw, 2014
Best of Show, Montgomery County Plein Air Painters show, The Hill Center, Washington DC, 2014
The Art League of Alexandria annual “‘Scapes” show, 2013
First place, Frederick County Historic Barn Paint Out, 2013
Honorable mention, The Art League of Alexandria annual “‘Scapes” show, 2012
Maryland Pastel Society signature member show at Quiet Waters Park, 2012
Artist's choice award, first place , Mid Atlantic Painters Association annual meeting, 2012
Third place, Shades of Pastel national show at Lorton Workhouse Art Center, Lorton, VA, 2011
Second place, Paint the Town of Kensington, MD, landscape category, 2011
Merit award, Norfolk Out and About juried plein air painting competition, 2011
The Art League of Alexandria annual “‘Scapes” show, 2011
Third place, The Maryland Mountain Plein Air juried competition in Cumberland, MD, 2011
Honorable mention, The Art League of Alexandria All Media December show, 2010
Merit award, The Maryland Pastel Society juried show at the Columbia Arts Center, 2010
Merit award, Shades of Pastel national show at Strathmore Hall, Bethesda, MD, 2009
Solo/Feature Shows
Horse Spirit Arts Gallery, Savage, MD, solo show, 2023
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 paintings, 2021
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 paintings, 2019
The Gilchrist Museum, Cumberland, MD, a show entitled "The Colorful Landscape" with 15 landscape paintings, 2018
McGuire Fine Arts Gallery, Frederick, MD, a show entitled "In the Moment" with 20 landscape paintings, 2017
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 landscapes, 2017
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD, a group show entitled "Perfectly Pastel" featuring 10 nationally known pastelists including Albert Handell, 4 paintings accepted, 2016
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 landscapes, 2015
The Hill Center on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, 15 landscapes “Chasing the Light”, 2014
River Arts District Gallery, Sperryville, VA, 7 landscapes, Paint the Shenandoah plein air event, 2014
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 landscapes, 2013
The Arts Barn, Gaithersburg, MD, 15 landscapes, 2013
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 12 landscapes, 2012
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD, 20 landscapes “Fields of Light”, 2012
National Shows
SHADES OF PASTEL, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD, 2019
SHADES OF PASTEL, Glenview Mansion, Rockville, MD, 2017
INTERNATIONAL ASSN. OF PASTEL SOCIETIES ANNUAL SHOW, Salmagundi Club, NY, 2016
SHADES OF PASTEL, The Hill Center, Washington, DC, 2015
SHADES OF PASTEL, Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD, 2013
SHADES OF PASTEL, Lorton Workhouse Art Center, Lorton, VA,, 2011
PASTEL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, National Arts Club, New York, NY, 2010
INTERNATIONAL ASSN. OF PASTEL SOCIETIES, online show, 2010
SHADES OF PASTEL, Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, MD, 2009
Permanent Collections
U.S. Department of State Works on Paper Collection, Washington DC, three paintings
The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, two paintings
The Shady Grove Adventist Aquilino Cancer Center, Gaithersburg, MD, three paintings
The Fairfax INOVA Cancer Center, Fairfax, VA, two paintings
Chanticleer Gardens, Wayne, PA, one painting
Memberships
Washington Society of Landscape Painters, Juried member
Pastel Society of America, Juried associate member
The Mid-Atlantic Association of Plein Air Painters
Maryland Pastel Society, signature member
