The Duncairn is delighted to welcome Caroline Murphy to the Duncairn as our newest artist in residence up here in North Belfast.

Caroline is a graphic designer, mixed media artist and illustrator from Belfast with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from Ulster University (2023). She works with a variety of mediums including paint, pencil, collage and digital illustration. Her work can usually be characterised by funky 80's inspired shapes, patterns, bright colour palettes and surrealist elements. She explores themes including dreams, memory and her experience living with anxiety.

The Duncairn were introduced to Caroline and her work through our Young Artists Open Call in late 2024. Caroline came in with a bunch of notebooks, sketch-books and spoke so candidly and creatively about her work, the obvious next step was to invite Caroline to join the Creative Collective in February 2025. She spent the residency weekends sketching and observing the musical goings on around her, and was then commissioned to create new murals in The Good Room, based on these sketches. These colourful murals capture the very essence of the Duncairn and we are delighted that she has joined the creative community up here in North Belfast!

Caroline, you have just moved into the Duncairn as a new artist in residence. Can you tell us a little about your journey to this point as a creative? Your background, a little about your art and how you hope this residency will impact your career and creative development?

I always wanted to be an artist since making finger paintings in nursery school - I would bring them home and have my mum hang them up in the kitchen. I always loved drawing and collaging. After studying art and design in school, I went on to do a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at Belfast School of Art and graduated in 2023. Now I am a graphic designer, illustrator, and mixed media artist. My graphic design background definitely impacts my work today as I can be very meticulous about things lining up, spacing, selecting colour palettes and typography.
I enjoy experimenting with lots of different techniques and media in my work, including paint, pencil, collage, printmaking and textiles and I usually work on multiple pieces at one time.
Now that I have a studio space I can work much larger than I ever have, and on a lot of different pieces at once. It is a great opportunity for me to devote time into improving my skills and trying new things. It is great to be a part of the centre and very motivating to be around other creatives
Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?
Usually I have a very rough idea for a piece and I just jump into creating it and see how it turns out along the way. I like to be spontaneous with my work and just do what looks good or feels right at the time. I like the idea that each of my pieces are very specific to the time they were made - if I worked on them on a different day they would’ve turned out completely differently.
I usually start with the background colours and then build it up layer by layer, often taking a break in between to work on something else.
Where do you find inspiration?
I have always been interested in the work of abstract artists, including Wassily Kandinsky and Josef Albers. I have also always loved surrealist art. I like to use bright, eye catching colours and shapes, inspired by 80s fashion and album covers. I can really find inspiration anywhere and everywhere including photography, film, magazines, product packaging, shop signage and music to name a few.
What is happening in your career at the moment and what are your hopes for the future?
I have been lucky to have the opportunity to display my work in a few exhibitions across Belfast this year. I hope to produce a collection for a solo exhibition in the future. Recently I have been developing my practice, spending as much time creating as I can. I am hoping to improve my painting skills in particular and work on some larger scale pieces.
Do you think it’s important for artists to continuously evolve?
I think sometimes artists produce their best work when they have worked on something for a long time - David Hockney has always worked in his studio every day, painting the same garden at different seasons of the year for example, and is able to produce a stronger painting each time as he knows the subject so well. His work has also evolved over time from painting to drawing and even to creating digital art on his iPad. I think it’s important as an artist to try different things and experiment with different mediums rather than focusing on one art form.