Biography
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Born: Rumford, Maine Education: Rumford High School , University of Southern Maine, B.F.A. Awarded the Carina House Monhegan Artists Residency, 1996 As a recipient of the Carina House Monhegan Artist's Residency, Phil spent five weeks on Monhegan Island, painting and hiking the island's natural wonders in the summer of '96. Phil is a singer songwriter, in the pop/folk tradition. Pet peeve in art: the idolatry awarded the European impressionists while so many fine 19th century painters in the American idiom have languished in relative obscurity. Influences: |
Morning Grace, 2024 20x16, acrylic on Linen
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from the luminists, the idea of the landscape imbued with the spiritual
Asher B. Durand, a highly underrated nineteenth century painter
Neil Welliver helped Phil to see that it was O.K. to paint the interior.
Nature, art, and song, have encoded my life. While I’ve focused my life around creative work, the battery powering this bus has been my connection to nature. I have consistently woven chunks of outdoor time into my life: whether solo backpacking, or with snowcave trips to Central Quebec and Southern Labrador. Nature is a mystic thread that spans the whole catalogue of my creative work.
I am an observational naturalist. Photography – the visual transcription – butresses painting. Working with digital imagery, I push the images, then, pull out work that feels more painterly than anything I ever did with a brush!
My early musical influences were folk rock standouts of the late sixties; Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, John Sebastian and then, of course, the Beatles. I learned harmony listening to early Simon and Garfunkel, and though I always thought Dylan “okay” as a singer, his songs resonated. In later years I’ve found myself drawn to female writers like Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke, Amee Mann
In college, pursuing a degree in Fine Arts, I found myself in a couple of bands: a folk rock group called Alden’s Union (covering Simon & Garfunkel, Eagles, Crosby Still & Nash) and a blues band in which I played blues harp and piano. After graduating, I settled into painting, then painting for galleries, and that early musical connection got lost over a couple decades with my focus shift. Ultimately I was able to live solely from the income from my art, but something felt missing. Through this whole time, music played a counterpoint. Writing and playing kept me sane. Ultimately, I gave up on promoting my art, moved from the metropolis of Portland to the “hinterlands” of western Maine, and immersed myself in writing and recording music.
My most recent good fortune is to have one of Maine’s top Luthiers- Steve Ryder (www.sjryder.com) build me a custom (yeah, truly one of a kind…) guitar built in the Martin OM style. Because I am left handed and taught myself to play upside down, the pick guard has always been on top for me. With this new custom guitar, it’s now located where it oughta be. It’s a beaut Stevie!!
What do I sound like? I’ve been told “a melodic Dylan”, with hints of Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Sebastian, Arlo Guthrie, maybe a bit of Gordon Lightfoot. I take all of these as compliments.
Wry humor pervades my songs, and I’m happy when subtle references get missed, but picked up on a later listen.
My music has been described as “contemporary folk with a touch of the blues”. It features strong, thoughtful lyrics and hook-driven melodic sensibilities.
Asher B. Durand, a highly underrated nineteenth century painter
Neil Welliver helped Phil to see that it was O.K. to paint the interior.
Nature, art, and song, have encoded my life. While I’ve focused my life around creative work, the battery powering this bus has been my connection to nature. I have consistently woven chunks of outdoor time into my life: whether solo backpacking, or with snowcave trips to Central Quebec and Southern Labrador. Nature is a mystic thread that spans the whole catalogue of my creative work.
I am an observational naturalist. Photography – the visual transcription – butresses painting. Working with digital imagery, I push the images, then, pull out work that feels more painterly than anything I ever did with a brush!
My early musical influences were folk rock standouts of the late sixties; Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, John Sebastian and then, of course, the Beatles. I learned harmony listening to early Simon and Garfunkel, and though I always thought Dylan “okay” as a singer, his songs resonated. In later years I’ve found myself drawn to female writers like Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke, Amee Mann
In college, pursuing a degree in Fine Arts, I found myself in a couple of bands: a folk rock group called Alden’s Union (covering Simon & Garfunkel, Eagles, Crosby Still & Nash) and a blues band in which I played blues harp and piano. After graduating, I settled into painting, then painting for galleries, and that early musical connection got lost over a couple decades with my focus shift. Ultimately I was able to live solely from the income from my art, but something felt missing. Through this whole time, music played a counterpoint. Writing and playing kept me sane. Ultimately, I gave up on promoting my art, moved from the metropolis of Portland to the “hinterlands” of western Maine, and immersed myself in writing and recording music.
My most recent good fortune is to have one of Maine’s top Luthiers- Steve Ryder (www.sjryder.com) build me a custom (yeah, truly one of a kind…) guitar built in the Martin OM style. Because I am left handed and taught myself to play upside down, the pick guard has always been on top for me. With this new custom guitar, it’s now located where it oughta be. It’s a beaut Stevie!!
What do I sound like? I’ve been told “a melodic Dylan”, with hints of Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Sebastian, Arlo Guthrie, maybe a bit of Gordon Lightfoot. I take all of these as compliments.
Wry humor pervades my songs, and I’m happy when subtle references get missed, but picked up on a later listen.
My music has been described as “contemporary folk with a touch of the blues”. It features strong, thoughtful lyrics and hook-driven melodic sensibilities.
