She didn’t think they were serious. But now her artwork is on network TV

When Consuelo Soto Murphy and her husband get home from a hard day of teaching at Richland High School, they take a nap.

But it was different the day staffers from the TV network CBS called.

That day, she noticed her husband wasn’t in bed. When he told her why, she was incredulous.

The staffers said they wanted to use wanted to use Soto Murphy’s artwork in their political drama Madam Secretary.

“I said, ‘Go back to bed. You know that’s nothing,’ ” she said. “He says ‘I better do it. What if it’s real?’ I say, ‘You’re just wasting your time.’ ”

But the staffers were serious.

Now two pieces of art — Walla Walla Onions and Grandma Watching Over Me — will hang in the office of the character Kat Sandoval.

The show airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on KEPR-TV.

The character, played by Sara Ramirez, is a political strategist and orchard owner, who became a recurring character on the drama this season.

The two acrylic paintings are part of large body of work inspired by Soto Murphy’s childhood as part of a migrant family.

Her parents decided to move to the United States after one of their children died because they weren’t able to get medical treatment.

“She passed away in my mom’s arms, and my dad said, ‘Never again. None of my kids are going to die of starvation or because I can’t provide medical care for them,’ ” Soto Murphy said.

Soto Murphy was born after they came to the United States. She said she loved the colors of the fruits and vegetables, but it was a second-grade teacher who discovered her love for art.

Still struggling with the language, and feeling out of place with a Hispanic name and being the tallest in her class, Soto Murphy found acceptance from one of her teachers.

Her teacher read a story about a pink octopus with purple tentacles, and she filled a piece of paper with a drawing of tentacles.

“It was so good,” Soto Murphy said. “So she brought me up, she had a little platform by her desk. She says, ‘Consuelo, can I call you Connie?’ and I was so happy because I hated having that big old long name. ... Then she goes, ‘Class I would like to introduce you to Connie, the artist.”

Her love of art and teaching continued as she went to college, then became an art teacher at Richland.

During the days, she’ll find time to sketch or add to her artwork.

After her afternoon nap, she fills the evenings with painting.

Soto Murphy’s art is regularly displayed at the Sixth Street Art and Gifts Gallery in Prosser, and has been used by Visit Tri-Cites, Sunset Magazine and in many Mid-Columbia publications.

She is excited to have her artwork featured and to be able to share images of people who are not normally seen.

“I want a farm worker or somebody who is working out in the field to look at that and say, ‘That’s what we do, and it’s good,’ ” Soto Murphy said. “There is nothing to be ashamed of, and in fact, they should be so proud of the work that they’re doing.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 6:01 PM with the headline "She didn’t think they were serious. But now her artwork is on network TV."