Michelle Philip

Art is for me a lifestyle, not a product. No matter where I am, what I am doing, I am painting with my eyes or my imagination. My art is also a portal to my memories, especially the haze of my childhood growing up in Africa. Most of my subjects have something to do with Africa, although as the years go by I find myself digging for the universality of life everywhere.

I did not go to college for art. In fact, far from it. I was a pre-med student as an undergraduate, and then I got a law degree. Art has always been my passion though, so my second career began when I learned how to paint and draw in the classical style from generous teachers such as L.V. Davis, Frank Covino, and Jaques Devaud. People often ask me what “classical training” means. In a nutshell it is about standing on the shoulders of all the great masters in history to thoroughly learn one’s craft: anatomy, perspective, composition, light and shadow, etc.

I picked up the torch handed to me by my wonderful mentors and have been teaching art myself for 20 years now. I have been the owner and director of my own school, the Classical Art Academy in Boulder for the past 10 years. As a teacher I find it very helpful to my students when I can show them how to paint in any style, from Renaissance perfection to painterly alla prima impressionism. I am humbled and inspired every day by my students trust and their passion to create art with beauty and meaning. I love my day job!

My background has not prevented me from “keeping up” with the times, however. For the past 6 years, I have been exploring digital art (art creation on the computer, using such programs as Photoshop and Corel Painter.) I have also been experimenting with “Tradigital” art; a marriage between traditional and digital art.

Artists are often given the marketing advice to find a style and stick with it so their work will be recognizable and unique. You might notice my rebellion. I try everything and anything because after all, Art is for me a lifestyle, not a product.