Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Murphy.
Hi Angela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Angela and her husband Joe collaborated to create their first mural in 2021 and quickly found their vision and skills to be complimentary. Through that project a passion for painting murals was ignited and Blue Bee Studio was born.
Our story actually began in Middle School, but we didn’t get along very well back then. It was 10 years after graduation before sparks flew at a friend’s New Years party. We married a year later at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Art was a shared interest, but not central to our lives. Angela was pursuing a career in accounting after graduating from Agnes Scott College, while Joe was serving in the USMC.
7 years later Joe retired from the Marines and we returned to Georgia, purchasing a small cottage near family in Monroe. While renovating the property we painted 3 murals together, and in the process discovered we could accomplish more creatively than we could individually. We began taking painting classes and volunteering at the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts. Then neighbors began asking us for murals and after our first commission we were absolutely hooked!
The vision and techniques of master artists such as Van Gogh, Tiffany, and Mucha have always been a fascination. You’ll see the influence of post impressionism in our work, the rich colors of stained glass and forms of art nouveau. But our greatest inspiration grows from nature’s splendor. We spend our down time in the forests and advocate for conservation through our work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Each mural project has presented its own challenges, like painting on different surfaces or in the elements. Understanding your materials and working within their (and our) limits is critical to success. Scaling a design onto a large wall can also be difficult, especially at first. There were also the usual hurdles in starting a business, but building a website and learning how to promote our services have been challenging for us.
One of the biggest obstacles for Angela has been overcoming acrophobia. Just climbing an average ladder was a struggle, but balancing on one for an extended time while also painting a design can be a white-knuckle experience. Joe’s safety training has been extremely helpful in overcoming that anxiety. But the positive impacts murals have really drives our motivation to keep painting, despite the heights.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Murals create such an enormous impact on people and their communities, it truly fuels our passion to create public art. We’re compelled to play with perspectives and create impactful transformations.
One of our most memorable projects was painting Van Gogh’s Starry Night across 1200sqft of sidewalk for our neighbors at The Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts. Fighting against winter weather and an enormous amount of pressure to recreate an iconic masterpiece for our community was transformational for us as artists. Painting in front of an audience became much easier afterwards.
This year Angela painted her first solo mural ‘Home, Sweet Home’ in the Kernersville Mural Festival featuring ladies who paint. This 132 sqft mural was completed in 2 weeks. It explores the interconnectedness between all living things and the essential role clean water plays in sustaining them. It’s a celebration of nature’s harmony and a call to preserve the balance that allows it to flourish.
We also just wrapped on ‘Homegrown Memories’ created in collaboration with the City of Statham to celebrate their community. Each letter of this postcard mural is a vivid tribute to the town’s spirit, history and pride.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Research and design are the first steps for every mural. Our trusty tablet has been instrumental since we first began by watching other artists on YouTube. And in the initial design process apps like Canva are helpful in composing a project mood board or collage. Then Angela creates our final designs using the Sketchbook app. Before painting begins we utilize a projector to quickly transfer a design onto a wall. Our preferred paints are from Sherwin Williams and they have soooo many colors. This work also usually requires a lot of travel, but it’s a breeze for us thanks to our Coachman Nova, aka Basecamp.
Good music is also a must through the entire process. We love our GenX anthems, but enjoy an eclectic mix from Neil Diamond to TOOL.
Pricing:
- Approximately $20/sqft for indoor murals
- Approximately $30/sqft for exterior murals
- Price is affected by the number of colors used and the surface texture being painted.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheBlueBee.buzz
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluebeemurals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16vdnNgoAH/
