Location: United States
PHYLLIS SHIPLEY BIOGRAPHY
Phyllis Shipley has been producing fine art paintings for the past thirty (30) years and has been a successful gallery owner, art show participant and award winner, and a continual student in the details of watercolor and acrylics. Phyllis began painting in the early 1980's, after her son brought his painting of a toucan bird from school. She asked him if he would like to take classes at the university and he said, "yes, if you will Mom". That is how it all started. Later, always loving the arts, following years of playing and teaching music with the organ and piano, raising children, and a successful career as a purchasing executive with a major chemical corporation, the time was right to pursue her new passion of painting.
Artist Shipley, a native of Johnson City, Tennessee, opened her first gallery in 1984 in a gift shop in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she painted a large 12’x28’ mural in the Tea Room. Later, becoming a full-time artist, she opened her gallery in October of 1992 in Johnson City. Stepping inside, the gallery showed the artist’s vivid imagination in using the vivacious colors of her palette.
Shipley often describes her childhood as the house being full of music and the garden full of flowers. Her mother, grandmother and aunts all had large flower gardens. This instilled in her a feeling of love of color and rhythm. “Flowers are a symbol of strength as well as delicacy and beauty. The rains come, beat them down but then the sun shines and they perk back up again, showing their strength”. Phyllis applies her "Inner Vision" to create juicy and loose paintings with a musical fluidity of expressions. Her “inner vision” subjects may be referred to as “figurative abstracts”. She “delights” in working with her clients.
Besides being a successful gallery owner, Phyllis has participated in many art shows in the U.S., also participating in the Wholesale Art Marts in Atlanta, New York City, Dallas, Orlando, St. Louis and Charlotte. Closing her gallery after a family loss, moving to Florida in 2003, her attention has been focused more on using the acrylic medium. “Using the variety of textures and the wonderful action and reaction of acrylic is nothing but fascinating and fun. I lose all sense of time when I paint, being totally intrigued with the process. The freedom is indescribable”. Phyllis states “my desire in painting is to express the zest, the energy, and the joy of life that is all around us and be thankful for that beautiful gift”. Phyllis's story was written in The National Digest Magazine 2021 and she is also in Marquis Who's Who in America 2022.
We see and react to many aspects or images in life. For me, color has always been a positive force. We see blue skies and feel a joy of "it's a good day". Or we see a fire, seeing red and feeling the heat and energy coming forth. As I started and still in this series, I related my feelings and emotions as I painted. Realizing that I painted how I felt that day, I started this series with additional color relating to an emotion.
Acrylic painting 36x36x1.5 framed in gallery black floater frame. The energy from the red bloom casts a burst of fun while dancing and swaying to the music from the piano.
Acrylic 36x36x1.5. As I wanted to calm the energies of the warm colors or active situations in life, I chose the softer colors to calm the Mixed Emotions. Music is a healing source; therefore, the keyboard lends itself to calming those emotions.
Music, being my first love, came into my paintings about 8 years ago. Organ, piano and violin, but my passion was the piano/organ. Initially, my first keyboard out of the blue turned up in my painting titled "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere". Music along with color lifts our spirit, so I continue to enjoy the inner vision of music from my heart and on to the canvas.
It's Jazz Time was a commission for the New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival
“The Warmth of Yellow”
“The Energy of Red”
“The Majestic of Purple”
“A Splash of Sway”
“Mixed Emotions”
“It's Jazz Time”
