Phyllis was born, raised, educated in and a long time
resident of Alberta, and since 2003 a resident of Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. Her oil paintings are impressions of the familiar: land, buildings,flora, water and the sea. Phyllis sees her painting career as an
adventure in an ongoing history of self-described "artistic
obsessions" of places she has been and things she sees and loves.
A graduate of the University of Alberta (B.Ed.), Phyllis
evolved through an eclectic set of careers as a teacher, artisan, business
woman and member of education related boards, and latterly as a recognised
western Canadian artist. In the mid '90s, following a fifteen year stint as
co-owner of a successful retail clothing business, Phyllis immersed herself in
art classes. A new obsession took over: nearly twenty-five years of serious oil
painting. Phyllis has studied art at Red Deer College, the Alberta College of
Art and Design, the University of Calgary, Lester B. Pearson College and at
various workshops across western Canada.
Having shown at Galleries in Alberta and B.C., Phyllis' paintings have a
substantial following, including public and private collections across Canada, in
the United States, Britain and beyond.
Following a two-plus year medical related hiatus, Phyllis
picked up her brushes in late 2018 and is painting again.
"Photographs and real time exposure from my surroundings and travels
inspire the "expressionist" approach to the subjects of my paintings. Playing
with light, colour and shapes are the most important elements in my
interpretations of land, sky, flora and water. My subjects range from the
spectacular vistas of foothills and mountains to a pool of water in a field, my
garden, the golf course, a vase of flowers, harbour reflections and boats at
anchor.
If only that the world could be as peaceful and vibrant as
that which I see when I paint."
