British-born artist and designer Liz Murphy has spent over forty years navigating the creative world through multiple lenses—graphic designer, illustrator, muralist, interior designer, and now, abstract expressionist painter. Her work transcends any one medium or moment in time. It is deeply rooted in emotional truth, shaped by personal transformation, and charged with the visceral energy of pure, uninhibited expression.
From London to San Francisco, and now Montclair, New Jersey, Liz’s creative journey has been marked by movement, evolution, and purpose. But her shift into abstract painting in 2019 marked a pivotal turning point—one where art became not only a form of expression but also a vehicle for healing and self-reclamation.
Abstract Expressionism as Emotional Cartography
Liz Murphy’s abstract expressionist paintings are not merely visual compositions; they are emotional topographies—maps of the inner world traced through movement, gesture, and intuition. Her technique blends the freedom of spontaneity with a keen sense of design, cultivated from decades of experience in the commercial and decorative arts.
Layered color, bold brushwork, and dynamic compositional balance characterize her canvases. Each piece is a personal meditation, an energetic release, and a dialogue between control and surrender. Her paintings don’t just depict emotions—they evoke them, inviting the viewer into a shared space of resonance and reflection.
Her 2025 work, On The Edge of Control, exemplifies this ethos. Created in acrylic on canvas, the piece vibrates with intensity and rhythm. The title itself nods to Liz’s ongoing artistic inquiry: what happens when we allow ourselves to teeter on the edge of comfort and chaos, to inhabit that delicate space where raw emotion meets refined composition?
The Origins: Creativity as Survival
Liz’s early exposure to art was less about aesthetics and more about necessity. Raised in a home marked by dysfunction and instability, she found a model of creative resilience in her mother. Amid the turmoil, her mother transformed their surroundings using whatever resources were available—reupholstering worn-out furniture in eclectic fabrics, handmaking toys, and crafting bold, individualistic clothing.
This early demonstration of creativity as a tool for reclaiming beauty and agency left an indelible mark. When her mother died of cancer, Liz was still young, but the seeds had been sown. Art was not simply decorative—it was transformative.
This understanding followed her through her years in graphic design and product development, and later, as the founder of a successful interior design firm. Yet, despite outward success, there remained an inner hunger—an unmet desire to create without boundaries.
A Turning Point: Illness and Liberation
In 2017, Liz faced two life-altering challenges: a cancer diagnosis and the end of a long marriage. These events forced her to confront the disconnect between her external life and her inner voice. Though she had never stopped creating for others, she realized she had neglected her own creative needs.
It was then that she gave herself radical permission—not to produce, perform, or perfect, but simply to play. The canvas became a private sanctuary, a place to explore feelings too vast for words. Abstract Expressionism, with its emphasis on process over product, offered the ideal language.
This unfiltered exploration soon led to the development of a distinctive voice—one that caught the attention of collectors, curators, and even former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose Harlem office now features one of Liz’s works.
“On The Edge Of Control”: The Power of Vulnerability
On The Edge Of Control embodies Liz’s unique visual lexicon. The painting is layered, not only in pigment but in emotional significance. Sweeping gestures clash with delicate markings. Pools of deep color interrupt lighter spaces, creating tension—and resolution.
It’s an apt metaphor for Liz’s creative practice: a constant negotiation between mastery and freedom, design and impulse. The work doesn’t strive for perfection; instead, it honors the beauty of the unfiltered moment, the courage of imperfection.
The canvas itself seems to breathe, expanding and contracting with each glance. It dares the viewer to lean into discomfort, to examine what lies beneath the surface of their own emotional landscapes.
Beyond the Canvas: Teaching, Mentoring, Healing
Liz’s journey has also evolved into a calling to support others. She now teaches workshops and mentors artists across the globe. Her guidance is less about technique and more about unlocking inner freedom. Drawing from her background in design, personal healing, and storytelling, she helps others reconnect with their creative voices.
For Liz, art is more than a career—it is a spiritual and emotional practice. It is a way of being in the world, of staying present with uncertainty, and of forging connection through honesty.
A Legacy of Authenticity
What sets Liz Murphy apart is not just her skill, but her unwavering commitment to authenticity. Her work is alive—pulsing with movement, history, and vulnerability. Whether it hangs in a private home or a public space, her paintings speak directly to the soul, reminding us that beauty is often born in the spaces we least expect: at the edge of control.
In a world obsessed with perfection, Liz’s art is a radical act of presence. It asks us to feel more deeply, to trust our instincts, and to honor the messy, magnificent process of becoming.
