Name: Dominic Murphy aka Homelyvillain
Place of Birth: Sheffield, England

Black Cat aka Didi: Do you remember the first draw you made? Tell us about your daily life and your life as an artist…
Dominic Murphy: My first drawings were scuba divers and a sperm whales. I used to bite my sandwiches into the shapes of animals. My daily life as an artist? Is an hour by hour rollercoaster of emotion. One minute high joy the next failure and depression. I battle this by trying to focus on the present moment.

B.C.: What is your creative process to design an idea? And what is the painting techniques you prefer?
D.M.: I only paint watercolours. This is not by choice . I have spinal damage that crushes the nerve in my painting hand and watercolour is all I can do now. But I love watercolour and it is very British… don’t you know?
The painting process is to allow an idea that is floating around in the ether to drift through my head and be translated into art.
They are out there - you just have to catch them. My work is a bit too controlled at the moment and I want it to become more abstract and free to let go and paint with my left hand instead of my right.

B.C.: How do you define your style and how would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?
D.M.: I would describe my style as macabre with a smile. Tongue in cheek but totally serious - My favourite comment about my work is: "I like the painting but I wouldn't hang it on my wall."

B.C.: What kind of release do you get from your images and paintings? Are they in some way cathartic?
D.M.: Is it cathartic to paint such images? They are little demons that have to be released to keep a gentleman sane. People who like my work recognize their own demons within. I paint Alice pictures because they reflect the madness of this dream we call existence.

B.C.: Do you have any spiritual beliefs? And if so, do they have an impact on your creativity?
D.M.: Spiritual beliefs? Yes many and they change from time to time. We are eternal we are called back to the inner tao but we are also expanding with the universe. I believe in God but he ain’t got no beard. I believe we are the taste buds of the creator. However I was raised a Roman Catholic and the virgin Mary hovers very nearby whilst the blood of Christ drips steadily through my guilt.

B.C.: I sometimes feel that when the viewer looks at art, it might not be as intense as the concept in the artists mind, maybe something gets lost in the creative process. Is what we see in your work, as intense as the concept? If so what have you learned that allows this to happen?
D.M.: I hate to use the word "truth" but when a painting really works it has an honesty that cannot hide.

B.C.: What do you think it is about surreal dark art, besides looking great, that draws people in just as easily as it gets people condemning it?
D.M.: I have to paint what I like if I paint what you like then I lose the truth.

B.C.: Is there something in particular that you aim to communicate with these drawings? Are the themes you explore very personal to you?
D.M.: Every painting is a piece of me a self portrait of emotion - no exception.

B.C.: Your paintings strike the viewer also because of their colors and liveliness. Do you plan the match or do you choose colors without thinking too much about it?
D.M.: Colour - colour is supreme master of all painting and is considered very carefully even for the most unimportant section.

B.C.: What have been your most challenging works?
D.M.: I have never found any work a challenge but a joy

B.C.: Have you ever had a breakthrough moment that made you change how and why you do your art? What was it?
D.M.: My moment in art was as a viewer when I first saw Francis Bacon's pope innocent X.
That painting changed my life forever - it made me realize that there is always another path.

B.C.: A question about the future: what is your secret dream? Would you like to collaborate with a particular artist or brand?
D.M.: I have a thousand sculptures waiting in my head. I need a big space where I can make an even bigger mess. I want my next exhibition to be in an asylum I hope I'm not one of the inmates.
I love what I do and thank God everyday that my life is spent doing something I love.

B.C.: Thank you very much for your attention and good work!

D.M.: many thanks… Dominic


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