About Liz
Professionally trained Abstract Artist and mother of two sons, Liz Murphy was born and raised in Surrey, England. Always creating and painting, she studied Graphic Design at Kingston University and has enjoyed a diverse creative career. Before starting her own company, her roles included creative directorships in London-based design agencies, designer of a range of kids' products, and illustrator of New York Times bestselling children’s books.
Liz moved to the United States in 2005 with her family and settled in Montclair, NJ, just outside of New York City. Once her sons were grown,
she decided to follow a childhood passion for creating beautiful, functional spaces, launching her own Interior Design and Staging firm, Liz Murphy Designs.
Today, Liz divides her time between her design business and her art studio. Her artwork can be found complimenting homes and public spaces across the tristate area and beyond. She believes that “home is not just a physical location, but a feeling that warrants an emotional connection,” which can be cultivated with intentional art placement and good design.
Early life
Liz learned early on in life that art and design could be powerful tools for creating a different reality. Though her childhood was fraught with dysfunction and unpredictability, as a young girl she watched her mother use creativity to make their immediate environment more tolerable. She infused the home with vibrant colors, reupholstered old chairs in funky fabrics, hand sewed toys out of fabric remnants, and created unique clothes that her daughter was proud to wear. Losing her mother to cancer at a young age, Liz was deeply influenced by those early experiences.
In 2017, facing her own cancer diagnosis and recent divorce, Liz realized she had lost sight of who she was and where her joy came from. Though she had never stopped creating and designing, she could not ignore the deep yearning to explore her creativity outside client briefs and external expectations.
She decided to give herself permission to play. Without any external agenda, her only goal was to learn more about herself and unpack emotions she hadn’t yet faced. Enter Abstract Expressionism.
