\nKept with it<\/p>\n
Winnipeg artist Stephanie Phillips has been drawing and painting from early on in her life, and her experimentations in style and\u00a0medium\u00a0offers\u00a0striking results for art lovers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Appropriately, she has just opened her Alchemy exhibit at Golden Prairie Arts Council, running until September 29th. The official reception will\u00a0be\u00a0September 19th.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phillips spoke\u00a0over the\u00a0phone about\u00a0herself,\u00a0and\u00a0her\u00a0work.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well,\u00a0all of\u00a0her work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“My name is Stephanie, and I am an artist among many other things.” Phillips\u00a0shared. “I also have a day job.\u00a0I work in healthcare and I really enjoy working with the clients I serve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Even though\u00a0I’ve\u00a0done art\u00a0since I was a little kid, I feel like\u00a0I’m\u00a0late to the professional arena with it.\u00a0I never really saw a path or a career for me in art.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stephanie Phillips exhibit, Golden Prairie Arts Council – photo submitted
\nKept with it<\/p>\n
Yet she persisted with the medium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“By the time I was in my 30s,\u00a0I wasn’t really doing art as much as I did like I grew up for the 1st 18 years of my life like doing art every day,\u00a0almost like a practice or ritual like it was a big part of my life”.\u00a0Phillips explained.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Then as an adult,\u00a0life got busy and I will say that all changed for me about eight years ago when I first met Nigel\u00a0(Bart).\u00a0I’ve gone through a really, really difficult period in my life.\u00a0I\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0in a place to be at my job at that time, which was tough for me, but I had the good fortune of meeting a counselor who really understood me.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Key connection<\/p>\n
The counselor\u00a0facilitated\u00a0an important connection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This woman referred me to ArtBeat Studios in Winnipeg.”\u00a0Phillips\u00a0recounted. “That’s where I connected with Nigel.\u00a0It’s\u00a0a nonprofit and\u00a0it’s\u00a0still going on today, even though Nigel is in Carman.\u00a0His legacy lives on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s a nonprofit that offers free studio\u00a0spaces\u00a0to artists with mental health challenges for six months.\u00a0After that,\u00a0there’s\u00a0a group show and they continue to promote artists.\u00a0They have a gallery, Upbeat Gallery in Portage\u00a0Place\u00a0where people can sell\u00a0out\u00a0of.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stephanie Phillips exhibit, Golden Prairie Arts Council – photo submitted
\nA game-changer<\/p>\n
All of\u00a0those creative supports provided\u00a0inspiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I would say that the experience of being referred to Artbeat has been\u00a0transformative for me.”\u00a0Phillips\u00a0acknowledged.\u00a0I found a lot of peace and purpose in creating art.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think it’s given me a renewed purpose because as people in healthcare know, self-care isn’t just for the clients, right?\u00a0It’s\u00a0important for\u00a0us\u00a0too. It can be rewarding,\u00a0it’s\u00a0also\u00a0a very stressful\u00a0field, right?\u00a0I feel the need for something\u00a0outside\u00a0that.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Important support<\/p>\n
The support and inspiration\u00a0has\u00a0its place to be sure, but the response to her work solidified her\u00a0commitment to\u00a0continued artistic creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I’ve been very thrilled and gratified by\u00a0people’s response to my art.”\u00a0Phillips\u00a0shared. “I never thought I would have people\u00a0interested in buying my art, but\u00a0Artbeat\u00a0it can feel like a big jump to go from doing art at home in your living room to doing it professionally\u00a0on\u00a0the wall of a gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Artbeat\u00a0helps people make that transition,\u00a0if\u00a0that’s\u00a0the way they want to go.\u00a0I guess I could say\u00a0kind-of\u00a0bringing this to my show that that’s kind of what the title of the show was like,\u00a0meant to\u00a0capture\u00a0alchemy,\u00a0turning\u00a0lead into gold.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stephanie Phillips, photo courtesy Cassandra Wolfe
\nElevating everyday life<\/p>\n
Phillips\u00a0feel\u00a0like\u00a0that’s\u00a0what artists do every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“They take our mundane, you know, the mundane stuff that happens,\u00a0and we try and transform it into something beautiful, right?”\u00a0\u00a0Phillips\u00a0outlined. “Something meaningful.\u00a0But\u00a0it’s\u00a0also\u00a0kind of a\u00a0metaphor for my artistic journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“When I started doing art again, seriously, eight years ago, I never imagined\u00a0all the things that\u00a0have\u00a0happened\u00a0for\u00a0me,\u00a0not just because of my hard work,\u00a0but also because of the people who have supported me and encouraged me.\u00a0I never imagined that things would go in this direction,\u00a0I\u00a0just I\u00a0never imagined all this good stuff would happen for me\u00a0it\u00a0really was\u00a0a transformative experience and one that\u00a0I’m\u00a0very grateful\u00a0for.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Delayed official reception<\/p>\n
As she does have\u00a0additional\u00a0commitments, the opening reception had to be delayed. The exhibit has opened, September 1st.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The exhibit is ongoing.”\u00a0Phillips noted. “As I mentioned, I do work in healthcare,\u00a0so\u00a0we decided the reception\u00a0will\u00a0be\u00a0Saturday, September 19th.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’ll\u00a0be a bit later in the show, but yes, there will be a reception where the public can come, they can meet me and talk to me about\u00a0the art\u00a0if they like.\u00a0They might find\u00a0me as\u00a0shy, but I am very appreciative and like always happy to engage around my art.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Her exhibit is\u00a0substantial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I have a little over 50 pieces, plus I have prints of some popular pieces available and these pieces range from everything to just small decorative pieces that could be placed\u00a0in\u00a0a bookshelf, to larger landscapes that would be at home on a wall.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
One aspect of her work is unique\u00a0pop culture portraits.\u00a0That includes one of late\u00a0actress\u00a0Catherine O’Hara.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Those often come up for me after somebody has passed.” Phillips\u00a0shared. “I do have a running list.\u00a0I’ll\u00a0see a photograph of\u00a0somebody,\u00a0and\u00a0I’ll\u00a0decide based on something in their story, that I want to do their portrait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“But sometimes it doesn’t happen unfortunately, until the person passes.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Related stories:<\/p>\n
More than portraits<\/p>\n
Happily, landscapes and other subjects are another story altogether.\u00a0A grain\u00a0elevator\u00a0is part of her exhibit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“That was done by a photograph by Linda Melstrom,\u00a0I believe she’s\u00a0from\u00a0the Brandon area, a\u00a0very\u00a0talented photographer and that was a picture that inspired me a lot.” Phillips\u00a0noted.\u00a0I’ve\u00a0had a long fascination with green elevators since I was a kid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“My father hails from the Dauphin area, so I was always interested in them for whatever reason.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phillips’\u00a0father was\u00a0instrumental\u00a0in getting\u00a0her\u00a0started in\u00a0art.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“He was very instrumental.”\u00a0Phillips\u00a0agreed. “He brought home one-sided paper from the office all of the time because he knew I’d go through it very quickly,\u00a0because he was always drawing something.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stephanie Phillips exhibit, Golden Prairie Arts Council – photo submitted
\nWhat to expect<\/p>\n
For expectations of this exhibit, Phillips\u00a0expressed\u00a0the diversity\u00a0of her work may elicit different responses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I hope they find something there that inspires them.”\u00a0Phillips\u00a0shared. “I do some traditional pieces, such as the grain elevator and the Catherine O’Hara portrait.\u00a0But I really do love making up my own compositions and doing things that are a bit weird.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I find that there’s a risk attached to doing that kind of stuff, namely that not everybody gets it right.\u00a0It’s\u00a0not everybody’s cup of tea, but it is my hope that people go there and see art, unlike\u00a0maybe things\u00a0that\u00a0they’re\u00a0used to seeing on gallery walls.\u00a0To me as an artist who loves lowbrow art and loves stuff\u00a0that’s\u00a0different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I remember like 20 years ago picking up a\u00a0Juxtaposed\u00a0Magazine, which\u00a0doesn’t run anymore but it was the founding magazine for lowbrow art, and it was such a revelation to me that people who did the kind of art I wanted to do,\u00a0like the weird stuff the unusual stuff that may\u00a0be slightly disconcerting stuff,\u00a0could have a place on the wall so that’s\u00a0something I hope especially young people take away from it.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the details<\/p>\n
Stephanie Phillips exhibit runs September 1 \u201329,\u00a0inclusively.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The official reception\u00a0is\u00a0Saturday, September 19th from 1 \u2013 3 PM. There will be light refreshments, non-alcoholic beverages, and a brief talk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Golden Prairie Arts Council is at 38 Centre Street West in Carman.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nGallery hours:\u00a0Tuesday- Friday: 11am-4pm\u00a0 \u00a0Saturday:\u00a011am-3pm\u00a0\u00a0
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\nClosed Sunday, Monday, holidays.\u00a0<\/p>\n