Red Crow Interview with Jennifer Phillips

One important part of the RED CROW mission is to share our wonderful artists with those who come into the Gallery. Our first online interview is with Jennifer Phillips. & We'd like to thank her for giving us her time and thoughtful answers. ENJOY!


Name: Jennifer Phillips
Occupation: full time artist/painter
Location: Seattle, WA

How did you first become interested in painting? How long have you been painting?
There are so many ways I could answer these two questions... The simple answer is a little over 16 years now. The real truth is though, that I have been painting and exploring my creativity since I was a little girl. It is an honor to say that I blame my parents for my current artistic bliss!

My mom and dad always encouraged me when I was young to creatively express myself. I also grew up around a father that was a full time illustrator working from home. So naturally, I always wanted to be like him when I grew up! I chose to go to school for illustration in 1991 at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia and it was there that I was exposed to all the wonderful techniques that art had to offer. After graduating, I illustrated for a couple years, but I quickly learned that I enjoyed painting for myself rather than trying to please a client for a particular ad or editorial piece. So my career turned a different path towards fine art after that and I have been at it ever since!

What are your artistic influences?
I tend to "drool" over the work of the following artists on a pretty regular basis... George Inness, Edward Hopper, Wolf Kahn, Jim Dine, John McCormick, Lyle Silver, Marc Bohne, and the list could go on and on.

What have you used/learned from another artist lately?
I recently went to a lecture that an artist friend of mine was giving and walked away with one of the most inspiring pieces of advice... It was during a time that I was really struggling with my art. He said (and I roughly quote), "In life and art, if you are having a difficult time and what you are going through is really bringing you down, and you feel like quitting, DON'T! Never stop, never give up, keep on going. It is during these times when we struggle with our selves and our artistic process, that we have a major break through! If you "throw in the towel" when times get rough, you rob yourself of this break through and you may never know what you could have discovered if you had just stuck with it! Literally that night, I spent several hours with my painting, and ended up with a whole new technique!

What are you trying to communicate with your art?
Whether it is a large piece or a miniature, I want the viewer to experience a sense of serenity and sometimes a little whimsy. Often we move through life not taking a moment to stop and enjoy the world around us. My images are a result of a moment in time when everything seems to slow down around me and I can actually begin to see... moments of calm allow me to find things in the landscapes that normally would get over looked. Like taking time to stare a a tree and wonder what it would say if it could talk? They have such history - they have been standing there forever!

We have quite a few of your miniature paintings and your ‘landscape in a pocket’ paintings here at the shop. What makes a piece ‘miniature, besides size?
Something precious, and intimate. The word miniature to me is an understatement... my new motto is small is the new BIG!

Do your landscapes exist in the real world?
All of my work is highly influenced from my local surroundings, the many road trips I have taken through Eastern Washington, and the Midwest. When I sit down to paint my miniatures I am often in my studio, painting from memory. During the warmer months I often venture outside with my little canvas's to paint in the moment... you can see me live in action this past summer on my blog or just click on this link HERE The larger works you can find on my website are both from life and creative brain. Washington is so full of beautiful landscape and greenery, that I can't help but be inspired by nature that surrounds me!

Do you paint what you see outside your window or are they purely imagined?
There are several locations that I frequent for inspiration. I travel outside when the weather is good, to sketch or paint "en Plen Aire" (outside) or to journal a bit about what I am looking at. Sometimes shooting a few photos to capture the moment and take back to the studio to continue a larger painting.