Test of Faith Original Artwork

36 X 36 Oil on Canvas

Dismantling a still life puts an end to comparison between the painting and the motif. The still life has vanished back to its single state and the painting lives on oblivious to whether the artist has captured the forms, colors, or design of the original set up. Landscapes see the sun rise and set and the seasons change and passionate invention and artistic license can enter into the painting with blatant disregard for the actual scene. Just creating a powerful painting is totally enough.

However, people look like themselves whether in the dark or light, outdoors or in and we like it that way. There can be invention, later, as Picasso certainly proved, but at the beginning putting eyes, noses, and mouths in the right places is of paramount importance. When the artist can finally "get a likeness", we applaud his hard labors and announce them an A student.

And so be it. Only in face and figure can there be so many unusual angles and symmetry in the same moment as asymmetry. Legs facing right or left or facing the artist. Faces tilted up to see nostrils or down to see bald spots. And hands, oh, the glory of hands where ten fingers can look like sausages or poetry depending on the artist's skill. For years my process involved always doing the hands when doing a portrait. It involved hiring ballerinas who could hold strange poses for extended periods of time. I did portraits in watercolor before it was deemed possible.

Alvin Gittins, University of Utah instructor, began my love of faces and figures as I studied with him for a semester in Mexico. He demonstrated how a face or the pose of the figure could reveal attitude and emotion. I was hooked. Next I found Harley Brown who moved me toward colors, values, and shapes to get not only a likeness in feature but to tell a story of thoughts and of human behavior. When the model is on the stand, costumed and defused with light, I am transported to a place without time or reality. A place where all the skills are employed to proclaim I have passed the final test.

Original artwork of Oil on Canvas 36 x 36. Framed at 45 x 45.

Torgesen Murdocks’ spontaneous and energetic style, along with a strong color and design sense, have caused her collectors to comment that her art changes with the mood and feelings of the viewer and becomes more intriguing the longer they own each work.

Torgesen Murdock was raised on a ranch in Soda Springs, Idaho.  She sketched and painted to while away idle hours and was always in demand as an illustrator for schools and civic groups. She attended universities in Hawaii and Utah and graduated from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors.  She studied with such notables as Alvin Gittins of the University of Utah and Joseph Mugnaini of Otis in Los Angeles, as well as Gaell Lindstrom, Adrian Van Suchtlan, Harrison Groutage, Ovanes Berberian, and Harley Brown.  She went on to work toward a Masters Degree and to teach art for organizations and in private workshops.

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