St. Paul man draws on inspiration to sketch art at Minneapolis Institute of Art

Maury's Stories: Turning works of art into works of art

FOX 9's Maury Glover digs into how this artist reimagines classical museum pieces.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A St. Paul man has found a unique way to get a new perspective on some classic creations.

Calm, quietness, happiness and joy

What we know:

At the Minneapolis Institute Of Art (MIA), there are masterpieces by world-famous painters like Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne.

But the artistic expression on display inside the museum isn't just limited to the works of art hanging on the gallery walls.

Every week, John Murphy gets up close and personal with the creations in the museum's print study room.

He chooses a painting that catches his eye, then uses a pencil to draw it in his sketchbook, creating his own impression of the image on the canvas.

"What I like about art today is the fact of what does it say to me? What is it trying to express? What is the artist actually trying to get across that canvas to me, or statute to me or whatever," said Murphy.

"It is like meditation. You calm down, the breathing is there, you're just relaxed, and now, for an hour and a half or two hours, I'm focused."

Drawing the line

The backstory:

Murphy started his weekly ritual a few years ago after a Rembrandt exhibit at MIA inspired him to learn how to draw.

He says putting himself in the artist's shoes gives him a deeper appreciation of their creative process and what they are trying to achieve with their art.

"I think part of it is that point of getting out there and seeing more art and really seeing the fact that there's so much expression out there that's just really on so many different levels," said Murphy.

Sharpening his skills

What they're saying:

From portraits of famous faces to the surreal and the sublime, Murphy's interpretations can be viewed as mini masterpieces themselves, capturing his take on the artists' intentions.

Over the years, he's filled up a handful of sketchbooks with more than 400 sketches, mostly in black and white, but occasionally he adds a little color at home.

"I'm not worried about production. It's not like I have to do an art show and make sure that my stock has something to fill the walls. It's much more for me," said Murphy.

Whether its perspective, lighting, texture or form, Murphy says he learns something from every drawing.

And sometimes when he's done,  he posts his sketches on social media to make art more accessible to the masses.

"I just see that there's so much noise out there, how do we calm that down? And then putting it out on a couple of sources, instead of getting a feed of like, he's doing this, or she's doing and this and this, and this violent, that, all of a sudden, you're opening up your page and here's a picture of sailboats. and here's a picture of this person. It's to put a little smile, a little joy in this time," said Murphy.

Pencil pusher

Local perspective:

As a self-taught artist, Murphy says his work has become more complex over the course of his journey, and he hopes his drawings illustrate the importance of pursuing your passions, whatever they may be.

"I'm hoping that other people will start to see it and they'll get involved, not the fact of coming to the print study room, but saying, you know, I've always wanted to do this. I've always wanted to do french cooking. Okay, well, start," said Murphy.

Murphy's X account is here.