About a month ago my husband and I stopped at the FKN bakery in San Juan Capistrano for a loaf of sourdough bread and saw a sign for the Mission Fine Art Gallery. Since we love to find new galleries and work by regional and local artists we decided to stop in. I was impressed right away with the professional and pleasing way the art was displayed and also the quality of work exhibited. I started chatting with the gallery attendant Antje Campbell, who also happened to be the gallery curator. One thing led to another and I was invited to apply. After about 4 weeks I got the good news that I was invited to be the guest artist for June and July with the possibility of joining their roster of wonderful popular and award winning artists. So here I am with my underwater painting "Into the Blue" on the gallery wall with Kathryn Stovall Dennis' clay work in the foreground. Below is "Breathe" and "Watching the Waves". I also brought along "Lifeguard Station #8" that won Best of Show at the Ashton Art on 30th gallery's summer juried show in San Diego. And the painting below, 'Two Umbrellas", is featured in an outside window here in SJC.
If you are heading over to visit the San Juan Capistrano Mission hop across the road and see my paintings. I'd love that! And I think you will enjoy all the art the gallery.
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Hey there, art lovers and collectors! I'm thrilled to share some exciting news with you all. I've recently launched a brand new line of high quality giclee prints, now available through my online studio at fionaphillipsartstudio.pixieset.com. These prints are the perfect way to bring the beauty, tranquility and fun of my original paintings into your own living space. As a figurative artist based in California, my work is deeply inspired by the breathtaking beaches and culture of the Golden State. With this new collection, I've curated a selection of pieces that celebrate the essence of California living, from serene beach scenes to captivating images of women swimming underwater. One of the highlights of this collection is the series featuring strong and feminine women. These paintings are a tribute to the resilience and beauty of women everywhere, capturing their grace and power in every brushstroke. Whether it's a solitary figure gazing out at the ocean or a group of friends enjoying a day at the beach, each piece tells a story of strength, confidence, and empowerment. In addition to celebrating the beauty of California and the strength of women, my new line of giclee prints also includes images that explore themes of faith and spirituality. These pieces offer a sense of peace and serenity, inviting viewers to reflect and find solace in the beauty of art. What sets these giclee prints apart is their exceptional quality and attention to detail. Each print is carefully crafted using the finest archival materials and state-of-the-art printing techniques, ensuring that every brushstroke and color is faithfully reproduced. Whether you choose a small print to accent a cozy corner or a large statement piece to become the focal point of your room, you can trust that your print will be a true work of art. So why wait? Dive into serenity today and explore my new line of giclee prints at fionaphillipsartstudio.pixieset.com. Whether you're drawn to the tranquility of beach scenes, the strength of feminine figures, or the peace of spiritual imagery, there's something here for everyone. Thank you for joining me on this artistic journey, and I can't wait to see how these prints bring beauty and inspiration into your life. Recently I have been thinking about the inspiration and the good feelings I get from being outside enjoying the natural world. I am also encouraged by research that shows walking in natural surroundings (especially a forest) produces endorphins and reduces the stress hormone cortisol. And although I don't live near a forest I do live in a neighborhood with many trees which make me happyl Besides paintings I enjoy taking photographs inspired by my natural surroundings and they often end up in my paintings in one way or another.
What is your creative inspiration? Like and comment below :) A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Redfin about writing an article for their blog called "22 Ways to Bring Texture Into Your Apartment". The editor want me to talk about how to artistically incorporate texture into your home. How much fun is that? So, since my second love after art making is home decorating, I put my artist's thinking cap on and sent them a few ideas. I hope think you will find these ideas as worthwhile and interesting as I do..
https://www.redfin.com/blog/how-to-bring-texture-into-your-apartment/ Neutral colors, such as a beige or gray sofa, can provide a backdrop for adding texture to an apartment through paintings and pillows or throws made from various materials like velvet, wool, or faux fur. Abstract floral or geometric paintings can add visual texture to a space by incorporating colors, shapes, lines and patterns. “Go with neutral furniture and get a wow factor with a rug high in visual texture. Also, try an abstract, floral, or geometric painting or pillow for a little pizazz. Repetition of similar natural shapes also creates textures complemented by an earthy wooden sculpture. A soft, nubby throw over your favorite chair provides a soothing texture. And a hammered metal finish catches the light and adds interest to a side table by your favorite easy chair,” says Fiona Phillips Art Studio. Welcome to my virtual studio tour - just a quick minute to see my space reinvented a bit! This is where art happens! I feel very blessed to have such a beautiful space to work in - and now that I've moved things around - more space to breathe.
I am fascinated right now with underwater images. Not just the images, but the process of getting in the pool with my models and trying desperately to stay submerged while taking photos with my rather temperamental GoPro - or maybe it's just me. But I love being under the water. The figures appear weightless and very real. It is hard to be other than yourself while swimming in a dress or jumping in and climbing out of a pool over and over again. Lovely things happen, interesting things happen, wonderful light and reflections happen - what's not to love?
This video is only the 2nd time I have tried stop action and while it is less than professional it illustrates in quick time how I begin a painting and then, the end result. I decided to call it Goggles, but Bubbles would be a good name too. What do you think? Go to the Water page in my gallery to see more underwater paintings. Here's a sneak peek... Looking back Just three years ago at this time I was looking forward to my solo exhibit at Dixie State University of Fifty Faces - large portraits of friends, family members, acquaintances and strangers who had agreed to sit for me. This exhibit called "Defacing Stigma" had been shown previously in March 2018 at Art Access Gallery in Salt Lake City, and although there wasn't enough room for all 50 of the portraits it was a wonderful experience and I made many new friends there. But now I am reminiscing about the Dixie State show and the memorable experience I had there. Many wonderful thoughts and feelings about mental illness and our desire to eradicate its stigmas were shared with me during that time. And I will never forget walking into the beautiful Sears Art Museum Gallery and seeing all the portraits hung together in that stunning space for the first time. The talents of art director Kathy Cieslewicz brought everything to life in ways I had not imagined. I will always feel grateful that she believed in me enough to show my work and champion our cause of raising awareness for the struggles of the mentally ill to thrive in our society without harmful judgements.
Now I am looking forward to another solo showing of these paintings (also photos and the video above) to be held at the Encinitas California City Gallery. It has been postponed twice due to the restrictions of Covid 19. I am scheduled now for some time in 2022 and I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well enough for the exhibit to take place. I promised to upload this video a long time ago and it is finally here. I hope it will touch your heart and help you feel empathy for the models of these portraits who bravely shared their personal experiences with me. Like everyone else I wasn't prepared for the downs of Covid-19, but I also have been pleasantly surprised at the ups during this pandemic too. So enough of the downs of Covid-19. We all know them because we live them every day. I want to celebrate the little every day happy moments like watching the sunset with my husband, having groceries delivered from Von's during a 14 day self quarantine, not being sick, playing group family games via Zoom. Also there have been some personal successes that have been gratifying to me. 1. I was invited by my gallery in Miami, DAC Concepts to be part of an international virtual gallery exhibit that has just opened. The painting above called Koi Pond will be online for viewing until September 24th along with a group of excellent works by fellow artists. Just follow this link https://publish.exhibbit.com/gallery/388393677/atrium-gallery-15816/. You can also click on the painting which will take you directly to DAC Concepts virtual gallery An Overwhelming Experience. 2. I was approached by Sparks gallery in San Diego about participating in their annual "Mini's" exhibit and my little landscape sold! 3. Before my hand surgery 6 weeks ago I was able to make a start on 3 new paintings. Here is an in-progress image of the painting about Esther a queen from the Old Testament who saved her people because of her courage. So you might be asking how can there be an upside to this crazy, limiting, anxiety producing time in our lives? Wearing masks, social distancing, self quarantining and being unable to do the things we enjoy are hard for sure. It's difficult for everyone, and more so for the isolated, alone, elderly or those with young children. I even had surgery on my right hand 6 weeks ago making painting impossible, at least for now. But I am fortunate because I love my house and my garden - and I love my husband! So the ups and downs of Covid-19 are only temporary. I'm sure all this will end...sometime soon I hope! Spiral Jetty Road Trip. Several years ago I was inspired by my son in law Brady who one Sunday afternoon on the spur of the moment jumped in the car with his kids and drove to see the Spiral Jetty. Due to an article I had read many years ago I mistakenly thought there was a lot of hiking involved and possibly rattlesnakes (which by the way the latter of which is true - just ask my daughter Kathryn!) But when I found out you can practically drive there, and more importantly that the lake was at a very low level, it was time for an art pilgrimage. I am lucky that my family love art as much as me so it took no encouraging to pile in the car for a road trip to the northern end of the Great Salt Lake at Rozel Point to visit the site of this iconic earthworks sculpture by Robert Smithson. Just a bit about Smithson's sculpture before I go on...it is 1500 feet long and is made of black basalt rock, salt crystals, water and sand. Some years when the lake is high it is not even visible unless by boat, but fortunately we were able to see and walk on and around it. Earthworks artists like Smithson, Nancy Holt, and Walter De La Maria and others created sculptures in natural environments, mostly out of the way places. Their vision changed the trajectory and definition of modern sculpture. I was as impressed as I envisioned I would be as we walked over the ragged black rocks that formed the curving line of the spiral. But what I wasn't prepared for was the stark almost surreal beauty of the the adjoining salt flat and pinkish salt water of the nearby lake front. It was a perfectly clear day with a blue sky so intense that, if I painted it, no one would believe it was a natural color. The salt sparkled around the edges of salt water pools and in other areas cracked and hard to the point of misery. We explored all over the area and were delighted by the fluffy balls of foam that came from the lake waves and then rolled like tumbleweeds across the salt flat. We found an area that at one time might have been a long wooden dock - the wooden pilings making strident patterns against the soft mud and cloud filled sky.
So yes, the road trip to the Spiral Jetty was everything I hoped for but so much more! Living near the beach has been a dream of mine for decades and so I have decided to post some paintings of the beach that I did some years ago. I have always been fascinated with the colors, the people, the shadows on the sand, the shapes and sounds of the waves and smell of the ocean. This painting, "Five Umbrellas Too" captures my feelings about lazy days spent enjoying the beach. I have many memories of my family vacationing at our favorite beach spots: Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Oceanside and Moonlight. Lots of summer days playing in the warm sand and in the sea. The days were wonderfully sunny and warm especially in July and August. But if we traveled to Southern California in June we had to battle what the locals call June doom. The marine fog rolls in every evening and sometimes doesn't disperse until mid afternoon and only for a few hours, after which the fog comes rolling in again. You can see more of these beach paintings in my gallery page "Beach", at Saatchiart.com and Artfinder.com. They are all of nice sunny days...but having lived here now through two years of June doom I am beginning to feel a desire to paint some foggy paintings!
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AuthorWhen not in my studio I like to spend time with family, go to nurseries, the beach and farmer's markets, eat really good food and dance in the kitchen. I believe in kindness. Archives
April 2024
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