Point of View

When I was a child I found magnitude in a fallen oak leaf – not only in the infinite shapes within its weathered borders and interrupted variance between its amber and browns, but in how wind buffered the form as it fell to earth. In earlier works, reproduction true to life was my basic artistic ambition.

While truthfulness is still essential, I now find interest in how co-dependent elements of the natural world redefine the normality of the other; whether it’s how blue defines orange or how texture defines a lack of, or how the torn outer wall of a ripe fig defines the insect attracted to its exposed flesh.

Influence

It would be a false statement to say I'm not influenced by past artists. I am; however, it's the act of corporal interaction from which I obtain inspiration. It's not the romantic notion of recreating past artist’s thoughts but the challenge of defining my own which pushes me to take risks. Although essential, what I seek won't be satisfied by analyzing a Rembrandt or Cezanne; what I seek I find in tangible aesthetics, both physical and emotional. This viewpoint lets me find comfort – and inspiration – in all of nature’s trials and mistakes, human or otherwise.

- David L Phillips
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