Lora Murphy On Painting With Fire + Essence Of Mulranny
View of Keem Bay, County Mayo, Ireland.
Lora Murphy was born in Ireland and educated in Ireland, the United States, and Italy. Trained as an oil painter, she now works primarily in encaustic and mixed media, describing her inspiration as stemming from “what drives us, as human beings, and our consciousness.” Her work is infused with the connection she feels to her female ancestors and a desire to honor their struggle. It is often layered with symbolism that draws upon her studies in Jungian and archetypal psychology and alchemy.
Lora teaches workshops in contemporary portraiture using encaustic and serves as director of Essence of Mulranny, an art school in County Mayo, Ireland.
In 2021, Lora launched Painting With Fire, an online-year round course that features 26 instructors and over 50 hours of content.
We chatted with Lora to learn more about Painting With Fire, the retreats she offers through Essence of Mulranny, and the upcoming International Encaustic Artist retreat.
What gave you the idea for Painting With Fire?
I was inspired by the loss of our community through the pandemic and by the losses that all of us sustained whether we were teaching or taking workshops. I was also very conscious of the loneliness of many artists during this time and I hoped that Painting With Fire would offer an opportunity to reconnect and support each other.
How has the response from students been?
It has been hugely successful. When we started, I hoped that we would have at least 200 participants and when we reached that number within minutes of launching, I realized that it was an idea that was resonating with a lot of people.
I get emails all the time, even now, from people who tell me how much it meant to them to have the connection with each other and how much they have learned.
““I love this community. Thank you to Lora Murphy for putting this together and to the wonderful instructors for sharing their ideas. My head is exploding with ideas. I cannot wait to get into my studio.””
Do you run Painting With Fire on your own? How do you select teachers to feature?
I have a wonderful assistant, Lee Lopez, who is on hand to answer technical questions and is amazing to work with. Having been this long in the field of encaustic, I am familiar with many of the greatest teachers and innovators. I have been extremely fortunate that they have wanted to participate.
A former convent serves as "Casa Azul" - the home of Essence of Mulranny.
When did you come up with the idea for hosting art retreats at Essence of Mulranny?
This is something I have always wanted to do and I was very fortunate to meet Cheryl Cobern Browne, the owner of all the infrastructure, who worked with me to develop the school in Mulranny. I had selected a different location initially, but when Cheryl asked me to develop the idea here instead, I jumped at the chance.
The painting studio featuring a recent retreat with R&F Core Instructor Jodi Reeb.
Who has taught there and who will be coming in the future?
We have hosted a number of very prominent teachers including: Lisa Pressman, Graceann Warn, Lyn Belisle, Michelle Belto, Gabriela Sanchez, Jodi Reeb, Linda Robertson, and Christina Lovisa. Most of them will be returning for another year. I am so looking forward to welcoming Dietlind Vander Schaaf, Regina Quinn, Pamela Caughey, Sue Stover, and Paco Benitez in the future.
What types of workshops do you offer?
We have all kinds of mixed media workshops, including teachers such as Lesley Riley, (TAP Transfer Artists Paper) MaryBeth Shaw (Stencil Girl), and Catherine Anderson (Soul Collage), just to name a few.
Since we have a full glass art set up, there are glass and mosaic workshops too. We run many one, two, and three day classes for locals and Irish artists and host meditation, Irish language classes, creative writing, life drawing, cinema club, music lessons, drum circles, yoga and children’s art classes on a regular basis.
Essence of Mulranny’s onsite store carries a range of art supplies including R&F encaustic paint and Pigment Sticks®.
What do you think makes taking a workshop or retreat at Essence of Mulranny special/ unique/ worth traveling to do so?
Mulranny is a wonderful place. It is very inspiring and soulful and the scenery is out of this world. We work with storytellers, musicians, and artists to curate extra special experiences for people to enjoy when they visit.
View of Clew Bay, County Mayo, Ireland.
What other types of activities do you offer in addition to painting?
We have a gorgeous labyrinth, a yoga studio, beautiful walks, visits to local eateries, pub music, storytelling, bicycling on the greenway, sea swimming, seaweed collecting for seaweed baths, trips to Achill Island, a trip to visit the Old Irish Goats, meditation and reflexology, great food, and if you are there on a Wednesday, a chance to join our life drawing class.
You are hosting the annual International Encaustic Artists (IEA) retreat this year. Can you tell us a little bit about Celtic Convergence?
This promises to be an amazing event. We expect that there will be a full house and at the moment there are over 60 attendees registered. The gathering will offer opportunities to learn, to meet and be inspired by fellow creatives, to explore the region, and to enjoy Irish culture.
In keeping with the ethos and tradition of IEA's retreats, it will be an intimate event where artists can really connect and get to know one another. This year’s retreat features a remarkable lineup of presenters including Cheryl Browne, Isabelle Gaborit, Lorraine Glessner, Joanna Kidney, Regina B Quinn, Linda Robertson, Patricia Russotti, Bettina Egli Sennhauser, Dietlind Vander Schaaf, Melanie Williams, and Janise Yntema.
And we have some great workshops this year. Pre-retreat workshops that still have space include: Lasting Impressions with Linda Robertson; Mixed Media Encaustic: Line with Lorraine Glessner; The Mark and Line with Encaustic Paint with Joanna Kidney.
Post-retreat workshops with available spots include: Expressive Portraiture with Encaustic taught by Lora Murphy; Artists Who Use A Camera: Photographs, Transfer Film, and Encaustic with Patti Russotti; Layers: Translucency & See Throughs with Dietlind Vander Schaaf; and Materiality and Encaustic: Re-Imagining The Substrate with Janise Yntema.
Footbridge outside the studio at Essence of Mulranny.
Do people have to be part of IEA to come and take a workshop?
People do not have to be members of IEA to attend but if they are, they receive a discount. There are a few spots left in the pre and post retreat workshops, but sign up in soon if there are some classes that interest you!
To learn more about Essence of Mulranny or Painting With Fire, visit essenceofmulranny.com. Interested in attending this year’s IEA retreat? You’ll find all the details here.