All Graphic images are the property of Karle H. Murdock copyright © Sept 2012
Born on Long Island. Grew up in Newton Massachusetts. Went to a revolutionary private school in Maine called Pinehenge School modeled after Summerhill School, which helped me recover from my public school education. My school system did not accommodate my learning disabilities which I have identified recently as ADD and Dyslexia. Continued on to college in Michigan, was married briefly to Michael Murdock, had a beautiful baby daughter named Culynn, was divorced and Received a Bachelors degree from Thomas Jefferson College. TJC, once the hippest "cluster colleges" under the umbrella of Grand Valley Stage Colleges, in Michigan, which is now a University, GVSU, with a really good football team. My professional career began in college as an actress, telling stories, creating improvisations, & teaching theatre games. I worked with The United Stage for three years teaching Spolin games and performing children's theater under the direction of Robert Moyer before moving to Florida in 1979.
My fine art training began before I spoke, Mother went to art school herself. There was always paper and something to draw with. Mother showed me pictures of famous paintings. I took art as a minor in college then studied intensively as a continuing undergraduate at the Ringling School of Art and Design, which is now a College, RCAD. In 1983 I graduated with honors, student government president, scholarship recipient, numerous merit awards, a fine art sculpture major. Ethelia Patmagrian, with her fiery personality and whimsical wit was my mentor in sculpture and design at Ringling. She founded the sculpture department was also head of the Basic studies program which provided top notch classical art training then. Miss Pat, Felix her friends called her, taught me everything about color & composition, dimensional design, mould making, and just a little bit about business.
After art school I began freelancing but soon took a job for a year as a wax chaser at Bronzart foundry. Then joined The Sarasota Players Theatre as their costumer, initiating a long time blended career as a theatrical artisan and sometimes actor. Married a Rock and Roll musician known as Hairball. Raised my beautiful talented daughter Culynn Murdock successfully through high school.
For a few years at the end of the 80's, thankfully, I worked as a graphic designer/illustrator just as everything became digital. After having perfected numerous skills that no one will use commercially anymore. Was a beta tester for vector based screen print software so ancient you couldn't find a computer to run it on these days. Freelanced and created artworks of all kinds throughout this period. Bought my own computer as soon as I could, a Mac II with 4 meg of RAM. Seems like a century ago.
1993 Eager, to produce a fine art series after being employed as a illustrator and designer, inspired by a visit to see Vermont's Bread and Puppet Theatre, I combined my love of acting, sculpture and painting in the "Faces" series. These are large painted papier mache caricatures of human "moments". Unique in form and technique, the series was very well received. Objects and Images Gallery in Soho began to represent me because the owner saw my work in a Sarasota gallery on Main street, just like a movie. Two local galleries were immediately interested in showing the FACES. Prizes were won and news articles were written. "I want to see more" - Long Boat Observer. "Murdock has addressed the emotional aspect of contemporary human existence" - Sarasota Arts Review.... just some of the comments from a big splash of publicity. 1996 Sadly went through a second divorce from Stephan Allen Griffiths aka Hairball. Happily bought a house.
2003 My work as a scenic designer & painter became all consuming for a decade. Unlike fine art, scenery is disposable. Most of what I created is gone except for the plans and some humble slides and photographs. On one occasion, to preserve a bit of my 'art' for posterity, I rescued a scenic drop from the King and I which had already been painted so many times it was thick and crusty, selected individual sections, stretched, restored and framed them. Called them the "Restorations". A few other bits of scenery and props have survived as mementos but most hit the dumpster or were painted over again to become part of another show.
I have learned much from designing in the theatre, developed the management skills required to get a job done quickly dealing with varieties of people. Picked up carpentry skills. Refined a very fast effective painting technique which is almost as obsolete as my Mac II. I regret that scenic design took so much of my energy away from teaching, acting & creating fine art. Getting back to the pure creative spirit is a struggle.
2007, I began a renewed serious effort to produce Fine Artwork. I bought myself an airbrush. Started painting whimsical abstract images of either the macrocosm or the microcosm. Began working in cement. Made black light boxes for two of the Faces.
2008 Grappling with the idea that I must promote myself. Hosting a retrospective show of my work over the last 25 years. Have new pieces and am dusting off and repairing some of the older pieces. It's very exciting to go to my studio in the morning and work until I am tired at night. The 2 new Faces are almost ready for painting. I am eager to airbrush the faces. The final painting will be a combination of airbursh under painting with detailed brush painting. I can't wait to see what they will look like. Have stopped waiting to be discovered and am actively soliciting attention. Not immortal anymore. Want to create new work so I must move out the old work and get some attention from the people who put value on such things.
2009 Blocked. Family issues have dominated my private life. Mother was ill for a long time then passed away on Sept 25th. Big stuff to assimilate. Changes in myself and in society which is falling to the young as I become one of the old. Imagine that? This is a time of contraction for everyone. The end of life is suddenly revealed to me. Oh.
2010 For two seasons I have been "coordinating" props for the Sarasota Opera during season. An art form 400 years old that was once only seen by the very privileged. It occurs to me that my quality of life surpasses that of ancient Royalty. Remarkable. The skill levels required for the orchestra to play and the singers (not actors) to sing without amplification is extraordinary, like watching olympic performers test their limits. I am impressed by the opera. However summers there is little work.
2012 September My father, Eric Howlett, died December 11, 2011. I am an orphan. in 2012 after 3 successful seasons with Sarasota Opera building and designing props, they did not rehire me in 2012. I went on unemployment briefly in the summer of 2011 when I first learned my future was suddenly unsecured, discovered I can't live on unemployment insurance. So I scrambled to make a living doing lots of different things. I painted an oil painting on commission discovered to my horror that one small tube of paint can cost $50.00. From Faux finish painting to scenic painting to scenic design and carpentry to building props and running props at the Asolo. FST called me up to paint a few shows and do some minor set decoration. It has taken me all the running I can do to stay in one place, grateful I have not slipped farther behind. In February I was contracted by my friends Larry and Jamie to help stage a version of Fireside theaters Nick Danger Private Eye. That was very successful and a lot of work behind the scenes as well as onstage.
I have renewed my efforts to teach and just finished a wonderful summer 2012 teaching with Annie Morrison at the Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities. I am sure these unique students taught me more than I taught them. They taught me about what a wonderful thing a functioning brain is and how many variations there are when a brain is not doing everything it can. I was able to play with them and we had fun. Which means to me that playing is still the most important activity people engage in. I started a project in the fall of 2011 that I am still working on a big project the tree project which has been delayed too many times to count. More tough life lessons about how doing business badly can hurt art. I long to finish and be finished with it. I hope to have wonderful photos and perhaps a video of the installation.
The world is still trying to get back up from what was almost an economic collapse in 2007. The arts were hit hard last year and continue to tighten their spending. Grants and fellowships have disappeared. I have taken on a lot of unusual work lately because it was available. Trying to carve out time to sculpt has given way to the necessity of redoing my web site in 2010 and now again in 2012. I am amazed at how much and how often I have had to write about myself and justify my work. This is getting a little bit easier to do. I have been doing a lot of writing, grant writing, net working and making decisions about marketing. Artwork? Not enough.
Everyday I am braver. Everyday I am calmer. KHM 2012