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Artists to Watch / One in a series of noteworthy up-and-comers
Phillip Philbeck, Realistic and Romantic Painter
Phillip Philbeck has been painting rustic and natural landscapes, as well as
still-lifes, his entire life. Painting is the only job he's ever held. At age
23, fresh out of college with an Associate of Arts degree, he signed on with a
firm that marketed and sold limited-edition prints of his work.
Actually, he
painted and sold originals as far back as age 13. And even before that, in the
second and third grade, he sold drawings of hot rods to classmates for $2.50.
But landscapes are his main focus now. "I grew up around these things and have
an emotional connection to them," he said. "I simply know them better than
anything else."
Philbeck said he's always preferred the look and feel of oil
paints. "It accounts for 95 percent of my work," he said. "It has a full,
'meaty' quality that I love. And it's easy to make corrections. Oil dries
slowly, so you can manipulate the paint longer. Gouache has a dry quality that I
favor."
When doing small color studies for his larger oils, Philbeck will
sometimes work in acrylic because it dries quickly. "But this quick drying
aspect is unfavorable to me for larger works," he pointed out. "Oil has been my
preferred medium since my early to mid-teens."
And his style? "I would
describe my style as realism mostly," he said, "with a small touch of
romanticism here and there. I've always been this way."
Art has always been
an interest of Philbeck's, as far back as he can remember. "I was always
fascinated by color," he said. "As a child, I'd check out books at the school
library that had a colorful cover or illustrations, even though I had no
interest at all in the literary content."
Young Phillip enjoyed flipping
through outdoor catalogs that had Christmas and greeting cards with wildlife
art. He also liked art books with Old Masters landscapes in them. "When I was
about nine or ten," he said, "I'd pore over the pages of 'The World of Bob
Timberlake' with a magnifying glass. I had that book checked out for months at a
time!"
Timberlake is one of four artists that Philbeck said influenced him
the most as an artist. The others are Jacob van Ruisdael, John Constable and
Albert Bierstadt. He also admires Rembrandt van Rijn, "although his work is not
so evident in my style." He added, "Art is an emotionally based thing. I don't
think it. I feel it."
Most of Phillip Philbeck's originals sell for between
$7,000 and $15,000, depending on size. He also sells small color studies for
$500-$1,000. Philbeck has had 36 releases. Of these, 24 are sold out. Edition
sizes: 75 artist's proofs, 950 signed and numbered prints.
To learn more
about Mr. Philbeck's art, or to inquire about making a purchase, you may call
the artist directly at (704) 487-0368.
His web address
is www.phillipphilbeck.net.
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