Shift Gallery

Peggy Murphy | Taxonomy of Lost Form
June 4 – 27, 2026
Ope Fridays and Saturdays 11am-4pm or by appointment

Peggy Murphy draws on botanical forms and classification systems in Taxonomy of Lost Form. Whether free floating or placed in a haphazard grid, these not quite familiar forms defy recognition and suggest the possibility of a cryptic system of information.

“Lately I seem to be veering towards dark thinking. Taxonomy of Lost Form was born from the idea of a a world where an apocalyptical future is confronted with incomprehensible, lost information systems and a planet populated with new unnamed plant species. But, as is usually the case, the work became more about painting than this imposed narrative. Discovering new ideas about color, new ways to use tools, and new ways of creating space on a flat surface drove the process. As the paintings progressed I felt myself losing the initial thread of doom and began to work with a lighter approach. My hope is that the viewer can share in my vision of a dark future vision, as well as it’s flip side – of a future with exciting and untold possibilities.”