Claire Murphy

Bio

Claire is a textile artist and printmaker from West Cork. She focuses on producing patterned prints through repeated and reflected geometric patterns. 

Claire Murphy graduated from Crawford College of Art and Design in 2026 with a degree in Contemporary Applied Art. She has been awarded a Backwater Artists Network Bursary, a Cork Textiles Network membership, and participation in the MTU SEE Exhibition. Claire also had a work purchased by the OPW for the State Art Collection. 

Artist Statement

My work is defined by the exploration of the interaction between process and colour through the medium of print and stitch. I monoprint over wire grids and running stitch, breaking objects down into their simplest geometric shapes, then overlap and experiment with their strong graphic sensibilities to form interlocking patterns. My enthusiasm for art comes from the visual excitement of layering and the limitless potential of a simple square, mirrored and reflected. Drawing calms my mind and provides a sense of order in today’s chaotic landscape.

Through repeated patterns and colour combinations, I begin to realise an abstracted world of my own creation, which reflects my crowded thoughts. The pressed wire grids represent cohesion and confusion coming together, how we are all made of little fissures and cracks. These become more prominent and permanent under continued pressure. I use open-weave scrim fabric, often used as a disposable material in the printmaking process, which highlights the importance of process in my practise and introduces movement to the fabric.