Welsh artist promotes her colourful canvas and print artworks in her first exhibition

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Culture
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The artist’s three-week exhibition of professional paintings takes place in a pop-up gallery at the Royal Arcade until 23 December

A picture of Welsh artist, Jenna Murphy, together with three of her paintings at Purple Pie Gallery
Jenna Murphy with her animal paintings at Purple Pie Gallery, Royal Arcade. (Picture Credit: Ashvin Tiwana)

Welsh artist Jenna Murphy has been trying to get a space to showcase her artwork, and has finally found a home in the Purple Pie Gallery for a three-week show.

“I’ve done a lot of these paintings during isolation last year, so to see them in the flesh in this gallery and receive amazing feedback from the people who come in, is something special,” said the 35-year-old.

The Cardiff native has been painting professionally since 2013, but started when she was eighteen.  

“I love this comic book artist, Alex Ross, and he did this amazing piece of the Joker which I loved so much. I attempted it on a massive canvas, kinda just for myself, and from then it took off,” she said.

The self-taught artist uses acrylic paints on canvas to create colourful artworks. It’s her love for colours that is the driving force to her spontaneous realism style of painting.

Several of Jenna’s colourful canvas paintings hang on the walls of the pop-up gallery. (Picture Credit: Ashvin Tiwana)

“Fan art is where I started, and that covers the whole umbrella of popular culture art, be it famous people, characters from movies, or popular icons. I’ve always done that because I love movies,” she said. 

“I’ve also been to comic cons and sold my artworks there. The prints of Star Wars and Harry Potter, for example, sell really well,” she continued.

Fan art is where I started. I’ve always done that because I love movies

Jenna’s solo exhibition, open now until 23 December, takes place at Purple Pie Gallery at Cardiff’s Royal Arcade. 

It’s a pop-up gallery owned by Jenna, which she hopes will eventually be available to other artists to showcase their art projects.  

“Hopefully I carry on with Purple Pie Gallery, and have it available to other artists so that they have space to sell their work, commission free. I also want to conduct classes and just create a little artsy community,” she said.

In relation to isolation and Covid-19, on World Art Day 2020, Director-General of UNESCO Ms Audrey Azoulay said “Despite the crisis, art is demonstrating its resilience today.”

“Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

A message for upcoming artists  

“Paint what you love, don’t compromise, and get prints. Prints will be your bread and butter as not everyone can afford a painting.”