JIM GARY PHILLIPS

Jim Gary Phillips has been painting for only a few years. No one encouraged him to draw or paint when he was growing up. His family was too busy trying to make ends meet. No one taught him art appreciation or color theory or visual composition. He didn't have time for education when his own family was hungry and needing to pay the bills. He made his own ends meet in a variety of ways throughout his lifetime, finally settling on stone masonry which helped to ease the ever-present threat of poverty. When he at last found this little bit of breathing room, he and his wife began to travel a bit around their western Kentucky home. During one of these trips, they stumbled upon a folk art gallery in Morehead, Kentucky where Jim Gary was inspired by the work of the well-known woodcarver, Minnie Adkins. He wanted with all his heart to buy one of Minnie's carvings, but it wasn't a purchase he could justify, so he decided he would create something beautiful himself. On the way home, he bought some acrylic paints and a few brushes and he painted the carving that had so impressed him. He kept practicing, and in time he realized he had to paint his own vision. He began to paint scenes from his rural, hardscrabble life in Kentucky and scenes from the Bible that he found particularly meaningful. He continues to grow in his technique and in his messages, with themes ranging from poignant to playful.