Preacher and painter- that's Frank Murphy
By Julianna Hunt
jsmit18@highlands.edu
Staff Writer
�Seeing the lights come on when they (the students) realize that God has called them for a purpose. When they realize that, it is exciting.�
 This is what campus minister Frank Murphy said is the most rewarding part of being a minister.
Murphy had been a youth minister in Rome for 18 years before becoming the campus minister at Floyd and Berry Colleges.
The chance for Murphy to be a college minister came about when the search committee he was on approached him with the opportunity. Murphy said that he had wanted to work in the college student ministry so that he could have the chance to work with a more mature group of students.
This also opened the door for Murphy to pursue another passion in his life, art.
Because the job was only part time, he was able to focus more on his art, which would also be important to him financially. Murphy said that he has been a practicing artist, �not a professional artist,� for 25 years.
Murphy stated that he became interested in art as a child when his favorite subject matter was cowboys. As he grew older, he began to draw many different kinds of people.
He didn't start painting until after he graduated from college, where he had originally been an art major. However, he graduated with a degree in physical education because the school that he attended did not focus on the realistic style of art that he was interested in.
Murphy draws some of his artistic inspiration from artists like Rembrandt and Michelangelo. �Rembrandt's use of light and dark wow's me,� said Murphy. �When I go to art galleries it makes me want to paint. When I see a Rembrandt it makes me want to quit.� Murphy said that he is amazed atMichelangelo's knowledge of anatomy in the time that he lived but is more impressed with his sculpture than his paintings.
The influence of Rembrandt is evident in Murphy's painting �Ruth and Boaz� that can be seen hanging in the Office of Student Life.
The painting is a depiction of the biblical story where Ruth lies at the feet of Boaz and he admits his kinsmanship to her and marries her to fulfill his duty. Murphy uses a lamp as the sole source of light in this painting, illuminating the faces of Ruth and Boaz while other details fade into the darkness. And like Rembrandt, Murphy's paintings often have a story to tell.
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