Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Phillips.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Practice, passion, and consistency. Creating is not something that comes naturally to me.
I became obsessed with the principles of art and design at a very young age.
At 18, with around 4 years of practicing drawing/painting, I went on to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (2016) and my Master of Arts degree (2018).
Over time, I studied the various ways in which we visually perceive the human experience. I dove deep into the world of fine arts and have relished there ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing is ever smooth. If it were, it would be boring. I need texture, bumps, nuances, and failure to truly enjoy my journey anyway.
I’ve struggled with so many things in my practice. Sometimes I wonder if people relate to my work at all.
The key is to not worry about how your work will be received. Once you stop worrying, and make things that are genuine to you… all external forces melt away and you will be undeniable.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My thoughts in the studio are constantly swirling. I’ve always been drawn to alternative portraiture, mirrors, and the question of what it means to truly see yourself.
Are we really seeing ourselves when we look into a mirror? Or are there many versions of us—morphing, changing, and adapting to whatever the world requires of us?
I’m convinced we all have many versions of ourselves to reflect on. A mirror can only show us a small fraction of who we are. Nothing is ever static. We are shapeshifters—boiling, curling, smoothing, and boiling again.
I typically use mirrors and photography during the infancy of a project, eventually translating those ideas into oil paintings. By the time a painting is complete, the photographic or mirrored source may no longer be apparent, but it remains an important part of how the work develops.
Craftsmanship is equally important to me. I make all of my own canvases because I want the construction and physicality of the object to be as intentional as the image itself. For me, the process and the finished work are inseparable.
What matters most to you? Why?
Keep making work.
There have been incredibly hard moments throughout my life when I’ve stopped making. It just sucks. There’s an itch I constantly want to scratch. I get upset. I get irritated. I feel disconnected and weak.
Eventually, I realize it’s because I haven’t created—I’ve only consumed.
“Keep making work” sounds like such a simple premise, but I think the real test is whether you’re willing to make work at your lowest low. Who is willing to pick up a brush after the worst week of their life? It needs to be me.
Making work—even if it’s nothing more than a play-date in the studio—is essential to my well-being. It’s as important as any other form of self-care. When I stop creating, I feel it. Something in me starts to shift, and I know I need to get back into the studio.
So, more than anything, what matters to me is continuing to make. Not because every piece needs to be successful or meaningful, but because the act of creating keeps me connected to myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jadearianaphillips.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadephillipsart/
- Other: https://www.artsy.net/artist/jade-phillips
