About Mike Murphy

Mike Murphy is a New Zealand artist who paints what happens when classical mythology crashes into contemporary life, and forgets to use its indicators. Mike spent four decades as a civil engineer designing things that shouldn't be possible, while mischief-making on canvas in his spare time.

After earning his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Auckland University, Mike founded M.J. Murphy Ltd in 1980, where he specialized in the kind of projects that make other engineers nervous: floating marinas, underwater acrylic tunnels, public aquariums, and (because why not!) underwater restaurants and villas in the Maldives. Ten of his projects involved world-firsts, which is engineer-speak for "nobody was quite sure this would work."

Throughout his engineering career, Mike painted late at night after the kids were asleep, a way to unwind from calculating whether buildings would float. Mostly self-taught (with two brilliant painting holidays in Italy and Morocco), he approached art the same way he approached engineering: by ignoring what everyone said was impossible and doing it anyway.

When Mike retired from engineering in 2018 at age 70, he had more time to pursue his true calling: populating canvases with absent-minded gods, water-walking Mildreds, and Supergirls with laundry emergencies. Working primarily in acrylics, his paintings explore the important questions: Does Kevin really live here? Why is the cat on the washing again? And what exactly were those three graces waiting for?

"I operated differently from most engineers and most artists," Mike explains. "In engineering, I drew perspectives and ventured into architectural design. In art, I paint subjects and styles many others avoid, maybe because galleries tell them not to. But life's too short to follow all the rules. If a painting stimulates a boisterous conversation, that's success."

Mike's work, equal parts art history homage and visual mischief, is held in private collections across New Zealand and internationally, mostly by people who appreciate a good story, a well-placed leopard, and the occasional existential cow. He currently has more than 10 paintings "on the go" at any one time, which he admits may require living to 150 to finish them all.

For more information, please visit Mike's now redundant (and very old!!) professional website www.mjmurphy.co.nz