Murphy Elliott may have built a career as a master painter and home decorator, but he’s spent his life cultivating a cult following thanks to his more creative artworks.
It started when Elliott was merely a child. His sister, who was approximately 18 months older, watched in frustration as Elliott would steal her coloring books and create images more vivid than she was able to produce despite her older age.
His father was artistically inclined and Elliott said he used art to get his attention. The summer before he went to high school, humanity sent a man into orbit. Suddenly Elliott’s head turned toward space and it never left. Though he was still in many regards a child he wrote to the Chamber of Commerce of all 50 states and asked how they were participating in the space race. Within three weeks he had a stack of papers flooding his mailbox with their replies.
“It was a picture of cooperation,” Elliott said. “It’s something that is hard to find nowadays. Everyone was united for a common cause. You don’t see that now unless there’s a disaster. I loved it, watching that cooperation take place. Competition is good, but a little of both is great. If it’s out of balance, you have a problem.”
After completing his stint in the military Elliott went to trade school and eventually became a master painter. Homes were transformed under his careful hand and he built a career working with buildings. In his free time he turned his creative outlet toward oil paintings and pencil sketches, carpentry and sculpting. Anything his mind thought of he brought to life.
It wasn’t long before his works of art, especially those of the universe, were gaining international attention. His work has been published in countless magazines and publications throughout the world and has even been featured by NASA.
His father was a Pentecostal minister and faith had been drilled into Elliott’s core. It’s no wonder his mind constantly was encamped among the stars. He was looking for Heaven and his imagination, coupled with the intricate facts he knew about the universe, helped him paint an awe-inspiring reverence to the wonders of galaxies humans have only dreamed of observing.
His opinions on the future of space exploration, including the potential of one day using asteroids for mining purposes, have sparked international debates and inspired countless books, poems and paintings.
“You can only reach where I am at the speed of imagination,” Elliott said. “You’ve got to imagine it first. The universe has so much to offer us. Yes, I use my imagination, but it’s real to me. It’s called science fiction for a reason. It’s real, it just hasn’t happened yet.”
His work has gathered not only a large group of loyal fans — including thousands of social media followers and millions in traffic to his website — but also inspired others. His images are often used as the inspiration for poems and other pieces and he even has a science fiction literary character named after him thanks to a partnership with authors Bob Bello and Tim Longwell.
As captivating as his galaxy paintings are, his pencil artworks have drawn in an equally dedicated following. His other work is all over the community including some of the massive new murals at Dinosaur World. He draws everything from celebrities to commissioned portraits of children and families. For an average of $250 he will create a highly detailed, pencil-sketched portrait of your loved one based entirely off of one good photograph.
“People like it because I can take the best photo of their mom and the best photo of their dad and combine them into one high quality drawing,” Elliottt said. “Attention to detail is so important to me. My problem became my pencil drawings were so detailed they looked like photographs. I didn’t want that. I reworked it so if you’re paying for a pencil drawing, you’re getting one. A detailed one, but it will still look like that style of art.”
He said he knows he’s “gearing down” and as he continues to age he hopes to be able to produce more commissions of portraits. It’s one of his favorite things to create and he loves seeing the joy on the customer’s face when he presents an image that captures the very essence of the person he’s drawing.
He also hopes to be able to work more with the families and loved ones of fallen soldiers or law enforcement. His artwork, “The Praying Soldier,” has been used by countless groups and organizations including a Catholic church that sends cards with the image to those deploying overseas.
Elliott loves a challenge and said there’s never been a request he hasn’t wanted to try to conquer. While he continues to hone his skills and master new artistic practices he said he always looks to help make a meaningful impact on others.
“I see other artists and they blow me away with their talent,” Elliott said. “I keep trying to get better. I’m my own worst critic. But I’m constantly in awe of the inspiration others seem to glean from my work. It feels good that somebody saw my artwork and were then inspired to do something of their own.”
For more information
Call: 813-300-4433
Email: MurphyElliott@hotmail.com
Visit: murphy-elliott.pixels.com or his Murphy Elliott Facebook page