Curtis Phillips

Curtis Phillips is a contemporary artist who has pioneered a genre of painting all his own. Drawing on the work of the abstract expressionists such as Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, Phillips works with large monochromatic color fields. But unlike the abstract expressionists, who emphasized spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation, Phillips approaches his canvases with the distinct intent of painting space, controlling his brushwork and pigment in a focused exploration of light, shadow and the finest gradations of color. Suggestive of the natural environment, and perhaps a product of living in the Pacific Northwest, Phillips’ paintings depict the infinite textures and moods of clouds and skyscapes. He then uses those images and feelings to achieve the remarkable illusion of expansive space. Even his smallest paintings allow the viewer to travel great distances. Straddling the lines between minimalism and pure abstraction, Phillips also reaches into history and calls forward the subtle brush strokes and strident light and shadow combinations of William Turner. Combining those techniques with a modified encaustic process (oil paint and wax) taken from European frescos, Phillips is able to achieve fabulous undulating surfaces that respond and reflect light to create atmospheric spaces for the viewer to inhabit. Illumination represents Phillips newest body of work where we see him further exploring the notion of painting space as opposed to objects. These paintings also reflect the artist’s unabashed interest in classic painterly surfaces, impasto layering, beeswax, and heavy brushstrokes. Letting the lessons of academic painting inform his uniquely contemporary artwork, Phillips takes bold steps towards a new kind of imagery