Deborah Murphy was born on June 5, 1950 in North Platte, Nebraska and received her BA from Kearney State College in 1972. She came to Omaha after college and has taught at the University of Omaha and the Metropolitan Community College since then. Murphy is largely known as a landscape painter and works mainly with acrylics. Her work has recently been moving toward architectural subjects and she has also shown a particular interest on the effects of light and shadow on her architecture. Murphy is a member of the Nebraska Women’s Caucus for Art and is represented by galleries in Omaha, Lincoln, and Kansas City.