Spring is in the air and with this new season comes a sense of hope. It’s this feeling of hope that brought illustrator Phil and poet Hanna Robinson together. Both inspired by the snowdrop flower and the wonders of the natural world. Hanna, looking for a visual to accompany her poem, came across Phil’s painting of snowdrops and felt that it spoke to her. With isolation becoming part of our daily lives it’s wonderful to see that Phil’s art and Hanna’s poem connected them through ideas of growth and resiliency, themes that are often present in Phil’s work.
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Phil illustrates 'Maddy Moose' for Bell Box Murals Project
Inspired by the great outdoors, illustrator Phil put paint to action in a collaboration with Bell Box Murals Project, a Community Matters initiative. Tasked with brightening up the corner of Tyrell Ave. and Turner Rd., Phil, in hopes of bringing a more natural element to the city, decided that a large graphic moose would do the trick. The textured layers of paint and distressed finish are signature to Phil’s style, making it feel like ‘Maddy Moose’ has always been part of the neighbourhood.
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Phil illustrates scenes with a story
Illustrator Phil creates truly unique pieces of art that subtly evoke emotion. Painting with acrylic on wood, he distresses each illustration by hand. The weathered and worn quality of his work combined with the layering of tones and textures add depth and set the mood for the story being told.
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Phil illustrates for Kings Highway Cidery
Along with brewing award-winning ciders Kings Highway has a tradition of using top-notch illustration for its packaging. So it was no surprise that when a label was needed for their new summer Berkshire Porch Pleaser cider they turned to renowned illustrator Phil. Excited about the collaboration, Phil set straight to work in his rustic, painterly style. With views of The Berkshires from Edith Wharton’s porch (and the cidery owner’s dog Hank) as inspiration Phil transports us to a warm, sunny afternoon in the country.
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Phil illustrates for Country Gardens Magazine
Illustrator Phil has enjoyed a long and collaborative working relationship with art director Nick Crow at Country Gardens magazine. Working on quarterly issues for over 10 years has built a reciprocal sense of trust and allowed for a creative freedom that illustrators do not take for granted.
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Phil illustrates Me and You and the Red Canoe
We couldn't wait to share this recent project! Renowned i2i Art illustrator Phil recently collaborated with Groundwood Books art director Michael Solomon and award-winning author Jean E. Pendziwol on a children's book that has been quick to win critical acclaim for both words and pictures.
Read MoreAdirondack Icons by Phil
When I first spoke with art director Kelly Hofschneider at Adirondack Life Magazine she told me Phil's work has been pinned up at her desk for years. That's when you know it's a perfect match. Phil's nostalgic style captures the spirit of the beautiful Adirondack region. Described as rustic, naive and iconic Phil's illustration tells the story of the area through its landscape, animals and people.
Prints available. See more of Phil's illustration. Represented by i2i Art Inc.
Phil's handcrafted calendar for Gay Lea Foods
Creative director Andrew Gillingham of Agency59 chose the perfect artist to execute this unique idea to promote Gay Lea Foods' products.
Phil was given carte blanche in building an advent calendar and creating the art that adorns each door. If you look closely at the distressed quality of the construction and paintings you'd swear you were looking at a family heirloom.
You can see this advent calendar at work in the Gay Lea Foods Facebook app. Each day a new door opens to reveal a festive cookie recipe.
A little imagination is all this illustrator needs to manifest your dream content. Check out more handpainted illustration by Phil the art guy.
Phil: Wild Turkeys for Country Gardens
The turkey is one of the most famous birds in North America. In fact, did you know Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States?
Working with art director Nick Crow, Phil created this beautifully evocative illustration--in his trademark wistful style, for an article in the Fall 2014 issue of Country Gardens magazine called Bird's-Eye Views. Visit phil's entire portfolio of hand painted illustrations on wood here.
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Phil for Country Gardens
Perhaps you have some recent memories of the summer campfire that will warm your heart as you head back to work or school. Check out this lovely painterly scene that literally takes you there. Phil, illustrated A Blaze of Glory for Country Gardens. To see more of phil's art, please visit his portfolio here.
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Phil for Country Gardens
Phil, working with design director Nick Crow, created this illustration for Country Gardens' fall 2012 Slow Lane column. His impressionistic style tells the story about the migration pattern of the black feathered, white beaked Coot, and a real life altercation between 30 of them encountering a hungry bald-eagle, during a brief stop over on their way south. Phil brings drama to the illustration with the menacing shadow of the eagle, contrasted by the calm and collected demeanor of the Coot, who ultimately see their way to victory.
Phil for Country Gardens
Some new "Spring" images from phil, created for the Country Gardens Slow Lane column. The image below accompanies the article "Chicken Run" and captures the wonder of picking up a box of freshly hatched chicks. The second image is from the article "Lotus Watching", about a trip by canoe down the Alabama delta and the discovery of an acre-size floating garden of lotus.
phil illustrates a year in the "Slow Lane"
phil's folk style painting on wood is the perfect "slow" method for illustrating the column called "Slow Lane". Here are the images for the four 2011 gardening seasons for Country Gardens :
Winter/Spring - Snowdrops
Late Spring - Rhubarb
Summer - Spiderweb
Fall- Fall Fruit
phil paints the first flowers of Spring
"Earth laughs in flowers" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Karen Weire-Jimerson included that great quote in her article "From Barren to Brilliant: Early spring bulbs are colorful antidotes to a drab winter". phil created the snowdrops below to accompany this article in the early Spring issue of Country Gardens. This was posted while watching snow drift by outside - can't wait to see my first spring flowers!
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Phil's paintings for "Best of Ontario" Wine Boutiques at the LCBO
For those lucky people visiting Ontario this summer, stop by the LCBO enroute and see phil's Ontario Vineyard inspired murals while picking up some of Ontario's best wines. For those of you who have never been to Prince Edward County/ Niagara region - let these paintings inspire a late summer - early fall tour of Ontario vineyards.
Here are the paintings as they appear in the boutiques:
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