N. S. PHILLIPS
Landscape Painter
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Atkinson Grimshaw
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Moonrise at Dusk by N.S. Phillips
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Below is a biographical account of my background leading into my works as a landscape artist.
N.S.
Phillips (Steve Phillips)
I
came from a somewhat bohemian household, as both my parents were artists.
My
father Harry Phillips (1911-1976) was a fine sculptor who found
himself out of step with the Abstract Expressionist movement in the
1950’s – 60’s. He had a great deal of respect for artisans and
craftsmen, you know, people who could actually make wonderful things with
their own hands.
My
mother, Kathleen Phillips (1919 - ) was a love child of the
Bloomsbury Set, she became an extremely able painter. So I grew up in a
house where there was a great deal of creative activity and did not
realise until I was an adult that this was not the norm, I naively assumed
most other households were like my own.
Some
of my ancestors were also artists, most notably Giles Firman Phillips, a
contemporary of Turner who specialised in watercolours of the River
Thames.
It is also not generally known that Mark Knopfler’s song ’In The Gallery’ from Dire Straits’ first album is about my father Harry, with whom Mark became quite well acquainted after we met up in the late 1960’s.
I
was put off the idea of trying to go to an art college, partly by
observing all of the waffle and machinations that went on at Leeds Art
College where my father taught, and partly by my loathing of the external
discipline I had to endure at school where I had just about managed to
grab the three ’R’s’.
I
meandered through various jobs after leaving school at fifteen – sign
writer, road digger, engineering factory worker, general ’dogsbody’ at
The City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, guitar repairer and eventually
around 1970 as a technician at The Leeds Art Gallery and Temple Newsam
House Museum.
The
technician’s job introduced me to a myriad of skills – furniture,
sculpture, ceramic and picture restoration. I also learnt quite a bit
about photography and exhibition/display work. I stayed there for about
five years and then started to think about how I could make a living
myself from all these various skills I had picked up.
Also,
when I found myself ’twiddling my thumbs’ at the end of a working day,
I used to go down to the picture storerooms in the basement of the art
gallery and try to figure out how the artists had produced such wonderful
works. I began to read all the books I could find on painting techniques
and artists biographies in the Art Library next door.
One
painting in particular at the gallery completely knocked my socks off.
This
was a Pre-Raphaelite style work by the Leeds artist (John) Atkinson
Grimshaw (1836 – 93) titled ’The Old Mill’.
I had first
seen the picture in the mid 1960’s, it had the same effect on me as when
I first heard old country blues records, I immediately felt quite at home
and I knew I could express my emotions through this type of music.
Grimshaws paintings certainly have ’the blues’ and I was determined
there and then that if I took up painting I wanted to try and capture
something of the atmosphere he achieved.
Gradually
I started having a go at landscape painting and as with the style of music
I was interested in, there was no one around who really knew how to do it.
Truly
amazing skills have been lost during the modernisation of our world in the
twentieth century, some of which has been clawed back due to the
resurgence of interest in craftsmanship and artistic excellence.
After
leaving the art gallery I set myself up as a guitar repairer as there was
little interest in the style of music I played in the latter half of the
1970’s. When I had some time to spare I kept getting out the brushes,
then when that dreadful woman (Margaret Thatcher) came to power in 1979, everybody tightened
their belts which affected my guitar repair trade.
I
decided to have a serious shot at producing some paintings that I could
hopefully sell.
As
fortune would have it, for once in my life my timing was right and I
quickly found myself selling paintings at the ’Williams & Son’
Gallery in Grafton Street, London.
A
considerable amount of my works were bought by overseas customers and I
was very chuffed when the Hollywood film star, Lee Remick bought one, even
though I did not get to meet her in person.
By
about 1984 the music scene began to change and by 1986 I was being offered
so much work as a musician I had to decide between painting and music as
it was impossible to concentrate on both things side by side.
So
I chose to curtail the painting until I might have more time on my hands
as I had never made my living solely as a musician before, and I was fast
approaching forty.
Since
moving to Robin Hood’s Bay in 1990 I have been able to take advantage of
the vagaries of the music business and find more time to paint again.
I
have subsequently set up ’Melrose House Publishing’ with the help and
encouragement of my wife Diane to sell cards and reproductions of my work.
Also
’E. Stacy Marks Ltd’ who have a gallery in Helmsley, North Yorkshire
and at Polegate, East Sussex, sell some of my original works.
Cards can be found on sale through this web site as well as at selected National Trust shops and other high quality merchants.
Written by Steve Phillips 2005