About

Born in 1930s Belfast, Philip had little opportunity to pursue an early interest in painting and drawing.
 
His retirement from the construction industry allowed for exploration and self expression through painting and sculpture.
 
A self taught artist, shaped by his experience of the contrasting physical and cultural landscapes of Belfast, Carlingford and Donegal, Philips creative output over the past few years has been prolific.
 
In painting, he has progressed from early tentative experiments with techniques and representational forms to the development of a bold, inquisitive style, using colour and light to reveal the physical and emotional topography of local environments.
 
His landscapes and seascapes reflect the tones of the Irish terrain as it is transformed by changing light, at times seething or lost in melancholy, sometimes standing proud with a sense of emotional containment, calmness and wellbeing.
 
As a sculptor, Philip works primarily in Irish bog oak and in bronze. His skilled use of tools and confidence in handling the materials, highlights the tactile qualities and textures of the three dimensional forms produced.
 
There is an instinctual linkage of the materials and the content of the artistic work. Bog oak, formed from ancient forests, dug from the living body of Ireland and bronze, metal cast using ancient “ lost wax” techniques, are used to explore themes related to  human and animal forms, Celtic myths and legends, the social history of flight, famine, emigration and everyday activity.
 
Contrasting textures and shapes interact to induce an emotional response. Smooth, highly polished surfaces and elongated lines evoke female sensuality, creating a disparity with the solidity of the heavy masculine forms. Rugged, coarse, pitted representations recall a sense of yearning, desolation and hardship, endurance and resilience.
 
In both painting and sculpture, the works emit an energy and intensity reflective of Philips drive and personal journey to artistic expression.