Squirm 1
Painting
Year: 2020
Edition: Unique
Technique: Gouache on Fabriano paper
Framed: No
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Leon Phillips is a Canadian artist who experiments with the materiality of colour, displaying its structural rather than merely decorative function. Based in Vancouver, Phillips grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, exploring nature and its shades. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a second degree in Environmental Studies. His art practice shows a physical engagement in colour properties and his studio’s working tools. Brushes, pigments, and the artist’s own body are never inert materials: they collaborate to create dynamic and swirling objects.
Phillips’ paintings have been exhibited in several public galleries in Canada and USA and have been awarded by the British Columbia Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2021, he also participated in the “Mark Rothko” International Painting Symposium in Latvia (Europe), becoming part of Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre's permanent collection. Leon Phillips’ paintings are more than colourful and abstract images: they are tangible presences.
Leon Phillips (b. Spalding, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a contemporary abstract painter based in Vancouver whose work explores the materiality of color and the physical engagement between artist, tools, and medium. His paintings investigate the relationship between gesture, material properties, and perceptual experience, creating works that transcend mere visual experience to evoke visceral responses in viewers.
Education
Phillips holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of Saskatchewan (1982-1985) and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture (1985-1989). This dual background in fine arts and architecture informs his unique approach to space, structure, and color relationships in his work. His artistic development was significantly influenced by Canadian painter Otto Rogers, though Phillips is largely self-taught in his painting practice.
Inspiration
Phillips' artistic influences are diverse, drawing inspiration from artists who worked wet into wet, such as Willem De Kooning and Chaïm Soutine. He admires their ability to achieve chromatic clarity and expressive light through immediate, intuitive painting methods. The works of Stanley Whitney, Ed Moses, and Bernard Frize have significantly shaped his practice - Whitney's structural use of color, Moses' material-centric approach, and Frize's innovative techniques all align with Phillips' artistic philosophy.
"I spent a lot of time outdoors, working and playing on our farm. There is really nothing that compares with the endless space and clear light of the Canadian prairies... My work has always been about space, light, and movement," Phillips shared in an interview with Artworkarchive.org, connecting his artistic themes to his formative experiences on the Saskatchewan prairies.
Technique
Phillips' distinctive approach centers on the materiality of color and paint, viewing pigments as active collaborators rather than inert materials. He works horizontally to prevent drips and maintain paint viscosity, using specifically chosen Da Vinci brushes that he considers extensions of his sensory system. His process involves working with both oil and watercolor, with each medium informing the other. For his oil paintings, he employs a carefully devised thinning medium that prevents surfaces from becoming tacky and imparts a satin-matte finish. When working with watercolor, he uses excessive amounts of water to create warped, topographical surfaces where the pigment—freed from its binding medium—can move and express itself.
"I employ color structurally, not decoratively, by building my paintings with color while embracing saturated, modern hues... This creates a tension between traditional and modern views, fostering a non-binary dialogue in my work." - Leon Phillips, interview with aliba9.com, December 2024.
Exhibitions
Phillips has exhibited extensively across North America and Europe, with notable institutional recognition including his participation in the Mark Rothko International Painting Symposium in Latvia. His work has been featured in renowned venues across Canada and internationally, demonstrating a sustained commitment to advancing contemporary abstract painting.
Awards and Recognition
Phillips has received numerous grants from prestigious institutions, including the Canada Council for the Arts and the British Columbia Arts Council. His practice has been supported through residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, among others.
Collections
His work is held in several significant public collections, including the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre in Latvia, the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago, and various healthcare and cultural institutions across Canada. Private collectors in Canada, the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, and Korea have acquired his works.
Representation
IdeelArt has been promoting Phillips' distinctive abstract works since 2022.
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