On December 10, the Douglas Art Gallery will open its doors to Cathy Murphy, a professional photographer who teaches at the Cochise College, Douglas Campus.

Photo taken by Cathy Murphy, from her website www.cathymurphyphotography.com shows the Southwest Mountain of Bisbee at night as it presents a beautiful scene from Bisbee, where Murphy resides.

With more than three decades of experience, Murphy’s artwork includes documentary, advertising and fine photography. Murphy began her photographic studies at Monterey Peninsula College in 1972, where she worked as lab tech for the photography department and apprenticed to Carmel photographer, Roger Fremier, who taught her Ansel Adams’ method of photography known as the Zone System.

When Brooks Institute of Photography opened its doors to female students in the mid-70s, Murphy moved to Santa Barbara to continue her photographic studies. While working as a photographic stringer for the Santa Barbara News and Review, she met one of America’s great Civil Rights leaders, Cesar E. Chavez. After seeing some of Murphy’s photographs, Chavez offered her the position of Staff Photographer for United Farm Workers. She accepted the position and continued to photograph the entire “Thousand Mile March.”

Murphy left the agricultural fields in 1977 and moved to Tucson, where she worked for advertising agencies and magazines as a photographic illustrator. A year later she moved to Bisbee then a burgeoning artist community, and opened the Latent Image Gallery. She also began teaching photography classes at Cochise College.

Murphy’s photographs have appeared in American Craft, Architectural Digest, American Indian Art, Ceramics Monthly, Glass Art, Tucson and Cochise County Tourism and Visitors’ guides and newspapers throughout the country. Professional Photographers of America have honored her with awards in fashion, architectural, commercial and fine art photography.

Although Murphy ventured out of Bisbee several times over the years, including California and Seattle, where she photographed fine art, fashion and architecture, and Hawaii to photograph Marlin Fishing Tournaments, the charm of Bisbee always drew her back to Arizona. Murphy continues to travel with her cameras, working as a photographer and educator for Geronimo Educational Studies, a contractor with Elderhostel International.

The Gallery will receive Murphy with an open to the public reception from 2-4 p.m. on December 10.

Also, on December 3, the Gallery will offer to the public a spot to all interested artists from the local area to their Craft Bazaar from 10-3 p.m. Table is only $10 and all types of crafts, jewelry, and other artwork are welcome. For more information about the Craft Bazaar, please contact the Douglas Art Gallery at (520)364-6410.