Dream Doer Carol Murphy…Altered by Design

Dream Doer Altered and Mixed Media artist Carol Murphy was on FAMM Live for a chat about her work and her life as an artist.

Altered by Design ~mixed media arts for the creative spirit~

Dream Doer Carol Murphy lives in a passionate, sometimes chaotic world of ART. She is a self taught mixed media artist and instructor living in El Cajon, California. Her feature articles and art pieces have been published in many well known art magazines and one of her assemblages is a beautiful contribution to new book.

Carol started her company, Altered By Design, in 2005 and has since launched her own line of collage sheets. These beautiful image sheets can be found on her website, at Stamping Details, Joggles, Alpha Stamps, Stampington and Company, and an overseas shop, Hobby och Hantverk in Sweden.

She also designs exclusive collage sheets for Alpha Stamps. Carol has served as a design team member for several companies including Krafty Lady and Therm O Web. She has been a featured artist on the ARTCHIX website, and has been featured on other blog talk radio shows as well. Her teaching venues include Michaels, Stamp Diego, Vintage Religion, The Stamp Addict, Studio Maureen, Stamping Details, Joggles, and Altered By Design. She is currently teaching several classes for the Fiber Arts Mixed Media Group. She has taught hundreds of classes some of which include encaustic collage, assemblage work, ATCs, book arts, card making, and art dolls. Her classes are fast paced and filled with techniques and various art materials.

Carol has two sons, two daughters-in-law and a beautiful granddaughter, Zoe. She works full time with Special Ed. kids and has done so for 30 years.

Thoughts from Carol:

“I remember my mom and dad telling me that I was a good artist but I would never make money at it so I kind of put that on the back burner. HMMMMMMMMMM Who knew? That’s why I think it’s more important than ever to keep art in schools and keep that spark of creativity alive in our young people.

Growing up in San Diego, California as an only child I spent many creative hours drawing, painting, writing poetry, and listening to music. In my early 20’s, I sold my art pieces at various venues throughout the San Diego area. When the craft industry really took off again in the 80’s, I found myself designing and selling jewelry and victorian items at local shops and fairs. Never really a fan of “cutesie” stamps and things I fell in love with the more offbeat stamps, inks, and techniques in the beginning of 2005. My first published piece was in Correspondence ART magazine at the end of that year. Since then, I have been so blessed to have my feature articles and works published in Somerset Studio, Stamper’s Sampler catch up issues, Art Doll Quarterly, Legacy, Paper Art, Stamper’s Sampler, Somerset Gallery Summer 2006 and 2007, Correspondence Art, and Altered Arts magazines. One of my pieces graces the cover of the 2006 Summer Edition of Somerset Gallery magazine. I also had the privilege of working as the Stamping Sensations Editor for Paper Arts and Correspondence Art magazines.