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Lorna Philips

12 August 2009

Lorna Phillips Background Information

I was born in the UK but raised in South Africa and both the changing political climate of South Africa and the vibrancy of London’ s easily accessible live music and theatre scenes have benefited me and influenced the work I have produced, culminating in a blending of cultures and experiences.

I won several competitions as a younger artist and my work was displayed all over South Africa as part of travelling exhibitions. I also studied graphic design in South Africa and worked with photographers and as art director of magazines in the news, features, lifestyle and travel markets.

I returned to the UK about 9 years ago and have been working as an art editor in London publishing houses and, while continuing my creative process during this period, I now dedicate my time to it in full and have over the last few years produced a portfolio of one-off pieces of fine art, with a number of additional projects currently in progress.

I mainly produce bespoke fine art pieces in oils, which have always generally been my medium of choice, though I also have some mixed media collage pieces with paper, acrylic, varnish and oils.

I have been focusing on portraits most recently, using my own photographs or ones taken by friends, with their permission. I manipulate the colour and composition of the original images to portray a new, more personal, meaning without compromising the original concept of the image, endeavouring to capture the relationship between a moment caught instantly in time and my interpretation of that moment developed with a brush over a period of time, such that the subjects are fluid in perception once on canvas.

All of my work is based on my fascination with light: the effects of colour flares in low light and reflections on different surfaces in changing weather and light conditions. Each work has a personal meaning to me, which may or may not be obvious on its completion. As the work evolves on the canvas, so does my meaning and the application of it.