Brendan Murphy on Solfire, Art Basel, and the 15 Foundation: "My Paintings Are Still Very Sacred to Me"

Miami-based artist, painter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Brendan Murphy — founder of Solfire activewear and the 15 Foundation — sat down with Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton to discuss his large-scale paintings, seven years at Art Basel, and how Solfire became an extension of his art rather than a commercialization of it. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

Brendan Murphy is an artist, painter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, designer, and founder of Solfire and the 15 Foundation. Solfire — which signifies Brendan's soul, fire, passion, and drive — is a non-traditional tennis gear brand created with light and breathable fabrics suited for the court, gym, and casual wear. The Solfire logo found on each piece is a representation of his painting and art, a brand he wore tattooed on his body from his teenage years. Solfire has been sported by tennis player Tommy Haas, Robin Quivers, Tom Cavanaugh, Taye Diggs, and others.

On his paintings: "I generally work on large-scale paintings — a cross between abstract and figurative. I like to use the woman as the figure. I use some symbols of animals to represent the relationship between a man and a woman. I use a lot of color and movement. A lot of times my good paintings look different each time you see them, so you get a different feeling. I still have a heavy hand. I use the brush a lot. I use a lot of paint when I am in the studio."

On Art Basel: "I have been at Art Basel for seven years now. I am hoping to do my own exhibition at the same time as I did last year. It is a lot of exposure. It is a good place to get a feel for what the art world thinks of your paintings. It is generally a good place to show."

On Solfire as a brand: "Solfire is an extension of my creativity and of my art. I have been faced with the challenge to commercialize that process, instead I felt that Solfire — which has been with me since I was a kid — provided a larger platform to bring people together. I connect people through my exhibitions, but when you sell a painting to a wealthy collector, the painting goes into a big home and that's the end of that process. I wanted to share more of my creativity. My paintings are still very sacred to me and have a level of integrity that I did not want to jeopardize by commercializing the painting."

On competition in sporting gear: "We entered the market through tennis and took a grassroots approach making products that suit the more recreational player — someone who plays tennis, goes to the gym and yoga. Nike and Adidas are all function. We want to be the brand that allows you to have style and function. A lot of our customers are musicians, actors, artists. We are not trying to compete with the big guys as much as trying to find our little space."

Brendan Murphy also joined forces with radio personality Robin Quivers of the Howard Stern Show to create the 15 Foundation, which supports charities making a difference in children's lives through education. The organization raised over $200,000 in its first six months. Solfire activewear ranges from $20 to $35.

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