How To Look at the Artwork of Victoria Phillips!

Weekly Mourner 4

By screm, July 2020

How To Look At Art, Volume 2

“Untitled”, acrylic on panel, 48 x 48”, 2018

NASA photos of the scarred surface of a strange and distant planet. A primordial broth simmering in the cracks of an earth from a long dead age. A captivating glimpse at the slide of unknown microscope. Wounds accumulated on some mysterious and unknown body. Tapestries documenting visceral damage and layers of time oriented healing rather than lineage. The haunting contemporary ghost of a body of impressionist paintings. (Alright, so I low key sci-fi geek out over Victoria’s work... so what?!) How about... Peace amidst deep and real distress. A spiritual and psychological metaphor for healing from trauma? These paintings absolutely speak to me on a metaphysical level, a spiritual level.

These are a few of the things I see and think of when I look at the artwork of Victoria Rose Phillips. And I have to say that I am a fan. 

Victoria and I met at the Savannah College of Art and Design over the course of our pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts in Painting. We graduated together in the summer of 2019, and while many artists might experience a lull in activity after graduating from a rigorous program like the program at SCAD, from what I can see, Victoria never slowed down.  Since graduating she has participated in thirteen exhibitions! She is a grade school art teacher, an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University, and a course developer at Lee Uninversity in Tennessee. Holy smokes.

“Untitled”, acrylic on panel, 48 x 48”, 2018

    This interview continues an ongoing art appreciation series and I really hope you’ll chew on the things Victoria reveals about her work, her perspective as an artist, and her perspective as a viewer and appreciator of art herself. So reader...

How does this work effect you when you see it? Ask yourself what your own initial impressions are. Don’t let my impressions color yours! The point of this series is for all of us to grow in learning how to look, so take a good long look at the work of Victoria Rose Phillips and let me know what you see! 

“Starburst”, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 8 x 8”, 2020

Interview
screm: This first question is an important one, I think, because these interviews are for people who are interested in art but don’t really consider themselves knowledgeable about art, or even perhaps, they just don’t feel comfortable talking about it because of that... 

Do you care at all about what your viewers think when they look at your work? Is there something you would instruct them to do or think about while they look?




Victoria: I obviously want them to have a visceral experience but for some people experiencing abstract work is difficult. If I were to give an Art 101 to someone viewing my work, I would just ask them to be open and not try to see anything but to feel it. I think many people automatically try to figure it out but there is nothing to figure out. It is about the experience. 

screm: A lot of the work is “untitled”... why?

Victoria: Often, titling a work of art gives the viewer too much information about it, limiting their experience with it. I want the work to speak for itself. I also want the spectator to fully experience the work and interpret it with their own meaning. My work is visceral, and for it to fully resonate with someone they need to have an open mind. In many cases, titling a work can close off the viewer to only one meaning, but my work can have many interpretations. That doesn’t mean I never title my work but when I do title it, it is for a reason. I recently had a patron observe my work and reference the Little Mermaid. At first, I was surprised and honestly a little offended but then I had to pause and evaluate why someone would see the Little Mermaid in this painting. I realized that for many, having an open mind means to break down the norms associated with the visual patterns or color associations that they are used to seeing. My most recent work is titled only because I do not want someone interpreting my experiences as a lighthearted Disney film. My work is deep and personal. All that to say, there is a time for a title and other times untitled is more suitable. Also, I do not think someone should title a work on a whim. If there is no significant  meaning or connection to the title then the work should be left untitled and should speak for itself. 

screm: Where do you work, and how do you work? Tell us about your process (no trade secrets unless you want to of course!) Music playing? Prayerful experience? Standing? On the floor? Are your actions as violent as some of the pieces appear (at least to be records of a violence done?)

Victoria: For my larger paintings, I work in my studio at Mutiny Artwrx in Atlanta, Georgia. Lately, with Covid-19, I have had to adapt and create in my home studio, which means I have worked on much smaller substrates. My processes are connected to my spirituality. I often use the time I create for meditation and contemplation. Sometimes I will spend 30-40 minutes on a painting without even painting it. My studio practice is isolated for the most part. I do not like working in or around people because it distracts me. It is also hard for me to get into the groove when others are around. My husband is literally the only person I am comfortable with watching me or being in my studio with me as I work. I often listen to music as I work. This is extremely helpful when I am using the time for meditation or worship. My work is essentially the highest offering I can give, and I think that is why I do not really like for people to watch... It is a personal and intimate time with the Lord. My process can be violent and emotional, but it can also be quiet and soft. The brutal process of cutting through the paint with a razor blade or using sand paper is definitely a metaphor to some of my experiences. In fact, many of the processes behind my work are tied directly to the emotional trauma I experienced growing up as well as my spiritual journey. 
screm:

Is there an important difference between the tapestries and work on canvas?

Victoria:The tapestry paintings are very similar in process to the works on panels from An Abstract Narrative. Both depict hope and brutality as well as offering room for the spectator to interpret each piece. The tapestry paintings focus on the pigment becoming one with the canvas as I stain each layer while the works on the panels demonstrate the layering aspect in a tangible way as you can see the interacting layers. 

“Untitled” (landscape), tapestry, acrylic stained on linen, three panels, 60 x 60”.
screm:

Besides yourself (of course I want people to look at your work!) What artists do you think non-artists should look at and what advice would you give them if they take you up on it?

Victoria:I would recommend that people not only look at the work of artists but investigate the lives of the specific artists. Art tells a story about the artist. It reveals the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs of the artist as well as many other things that are important when truly experiencing a work of art. My recommendations are Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler, Wassily Kandinsky, as well as Gerhard Richter. Caravaggio and Turner are also two of my favorite artists. (The “Turner” here Victoria mentions is J.M.W. Turner or William Turner as most people know him! Awesome landscape painter!)

screm:Where and how can people buy your work? 

Victoria:
My work is available in several places. People can purchase specific works directly from me through my online gallery, Victoria Phillips Studio and Gallery (victoriarosephillips.com) or from the galleries that represent my work. When another gallery carries my work, I make it exclusive to that gallery, even if it isn’t required from the gallery simply because it is the right thing to do. The other galleries that carry my work are Singulart, which is based in Paris, France, Starlight Art Consultancy based in Savannah, Georgia, The 567 Center for Renewal and The Macon Arts Alliance both based in Macon, Georgia. 

I want to thank Victoria for granting me this interview and I really hope this helps my friends reading here to answer the question: “How do I look at art?” 
You can find Victoria’s work here and she’s recently started to curate the work of other artists on her site so check that out too! https://www.victoriarosephillips.com/shop