Henry Murphy paints from direct observation, drawing on principles from the classical landscape painting tradition, folk art, and an idealized notion of pre-photographic thinking. The act of observational painting- done as a combination of painting and drawing on site- serves as a jumping-off point for contemplations of nature and the consideration of places and their histories. This effort to paint in the landscape is central to the content and choices in Murphy’s work and a way of engaging with the local world. When his paintings diverge from the observational mode, they remain a means of interacting through seeing.