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Nan PhillipsTSA Board of Directors - Communications Director; Historian - 2011 |
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nan@nan-art.com P.O. Box 833574 |
I have equal love for two sculptural media, and I work and specialize in both realistic figurative sculpture and various types of art glass. My glass work is unique, and created as one-of-a-kind pieces using techniques that I have developed over 19 years as a practicing artist. My sculptural technique comes from my heart and from my desire to allow my work to "speak" through musculature and nuance. |
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I work in fused glass and hand-made molds, and stained glass and sculptural solder, to create my distinctive glass art. I do not like to settle for one "style" so my artwork is diverse and ranges from fused glass jewelry and art glass plates, to glass and solder art wands, to both fused and cold glass sculptural work. I love the challenge of new ideas and the puzzle of figuring out how to accomplish each project. The technique and challenge of keeping the dimensionality of fused glass while altering its shape and form is particularly appealing. |
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I am intrigued by the reflective qualities of glass and the potential to control and change its properties to create delicate objects of art from a hard material. |
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My figurative sculptures are modeled in clay from live models and cast in bronze, resin or pourable stone, and range from ¼ to ½ scale of the human body. Mold-making and casting have been added to my repertoire of skills, allowing me to control the sculpting process from inception to finished sculpture. I delight in the form of the human body, feeling that the body speaks a global language. Through the portrayal of musculature, detail and nuance, I attempt to impart the beauty of the human spirit. |
When sculpting in clay, I immerse myself and lose all sense of time and place. Sculpting the human body is a very personal, passionate endeavor. Human musculature and pose have the ability to speak a universal human language. I use the curve of the body’s muscle to portray the subject’s inner being, to capture a moment’s stillness, and convey a person’s spirit, and speak a truth that is common to us all. |
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I take great care in choosing the glass for each piece of artwork, shaping and grinding the individual pieces, and controlling the firing processes to attain the desired dimensionality of the finished piece. Many pieces, especially the glass sculptural work, undergo multiple grindings and firings to achieve the final presentation. Each piece of art glass is properly annealed for strength and durability. |
In working with decorative solder, I use a technique that I developed to create free-flowing forms. These forms are achieved by slowly pulling and manipulating molten metal. |
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Wand |
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Some of my glass art work is carried in stores and galleries in the Dallas area including Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass, Artists Showplace, Visual Expressions Creative Art Studio, and the International Museum of Cultures. One of my Judaic pieces won a national competition and is in permanent residence at the Mizel Museum, Denver. I teach numerous classes each week in fused and stained glass, and in realistic figurative sculpture. My teaching locations are: my own studio, Nan Phillips Studio, in Richardson, at Visual Expressions Creative Art Studio in Cedar HillI, and BITY Molds, Richardson. I also offer Art Paries at my Richardson location: a fun, 3-hour "get-your-toes-wet" fused glass class. For more information, go to www.nan-art.com/classesandparties. |
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Custom Fused Glass Platter |
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Face of "Neriad, Water Spirit" |
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"In a world of turmoil and constant motion, it's hard to appreciate things that are simply created for pleasure. Upon coming across a work of art that is truly unique, however, we may be inspired to pause, and to wonder at the effort that went into that piece. Nan Phillips' work is nothing if not original. Each piece is hand crafted, and the effort and passion which Nan dedicates to each of her endeavors consistently shines through. To Nan Phillips, originality is not a gimmick. It is not a publicity ploy or a cleverly conceived marketing tool. It is the way she lives her life, and it is the way she translates her artistic nature into her life's work. Nan lives through each piece, to its completion; she expresses her unique personality in the glass selection, she watches over the pieces as they fuse and mature. She knows her glasswork and her sculptural technique in a personal and instinctual way. And yet she never loses sight of her students, her customers, and how one might wear, display, and enjoy her art to its fullest potential. To enjoy Nan's work is to experience her extremely creative outlook on life, and her dedication and passion for her craft." Jennifer P. |
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From the Prez - December 2008:It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve as President of Texas Sculpture Association over the past two years, and I truly appreciate the opportunity. I came to office without experience, but with a desire to turn TSA into an organization that would be of help and use to its members. I was struggling as an individual artist, and I knew that other artists were having similar difficulties. While it is certainly possible to advance one’s career as an individual, I felt strongly that it would be helpful to have an organization which could assist artists as a group. The members of the TSA Board of Directors have been wonderful to work with. We have tried many different venues and programs, some of which have been successful, and others, well, our time would have been better spent elsewhere. But at least we tried things that we had not done before and learned from the experiences. In the last two years, TSA membership has grown by 60%, and our numbers are now just shy of 200 members throughout Texas. Approximately 80% of TSA members are based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The number and quality of shows and opportunities our organization now provides has also grown from two shows per year to ten shows in 2008 plus a major 25th anniversary symposium, four major shows in 2009, plus different kinds of opportunities from which our members may choose to participate. The TSA newsletter has become a weekly vehicle for member communication, a means of bringing show opportunities to our members’ attention, and another opportunity for on-line presence. Because the newsletter is posted on the TSA web site, members’ news and Artist Spotlights can be found by on-line search engines. The new TSA web site which features member pages containing members’ information and sculpture pictures can be located by search engines. An on-line dues payment system on the TSA web site is yet other positive change for TSA. I look forward to a bright future for TSA under new leadership, but as I say goodbye on my last official day in office, I would like to recap the TSA events over the last two years and name the members who have served on the Board of Directors, as chairs of shows, and on the 25th Anniversary Symposium Committee over the last two years. I offer a huge “thank you” and debt of gratitude to each of you for all the time and work that you have given to TSA. You have each made these events and opportunities possible. Thank you all for a wonderful term, Nan 2008 Events: Presentations to TSA: Socials: 2009 Events: In the works for 2010: The following people are on the current Board (2009): The following people served during my and prior administrations and retired during my administration: The following people served on the Board during my administration: My sincere thanks and appreciation to the 2008-2009 TSA Board of Directors |
Artist SpotlightName: Nan Phillips What type(s) of art do you like to create? My favorite medium is clay, sculpting realistic figurative nudes – I love using the bone and muscle structure to create “life” in my work. Unfortunately I spend the least amount of my time working in this medium. Most of my artwork is fused glass, and I have a preference for working in the lower heat range (1250 to 1350 degrees) to create dimensional glass. I find that keeping the definition and dimension in the glass is more fun and challenging than bringing the glass up to a full fuse temperature. I also work in stained glass and decorate my cold glass work with a sculptural solder that I devised. I recently created a large beaded sculpture with artist Jan Ayers for a show at The Cedars Gallery and really enjoyed the process of creating such a different kind of sculpture. Actually, I find that the medium is not nearly as important to me as just being able to create! Where did you learn to do what you do? I began taking stained glass classes at a small shop in Richardson, and pottery at the Craft Guild. I fell in love with glass immediately. I wasn’t as enamored with pottery, but met another student who was taking a sculpting class from George Davis. As soon as I saw the picture of the piece she was working on, I knew that was where I belonged. I began taking George’s classes and worked with him for many years. I still return to his classes whenever I have time, and I consider George my mentor. Also while I was at the Craft Guild I came across someone teaching a fused glass class. I took that class, creating my first piece in an old non-programmable pottery kiln. The bowl was horribly over-fired, but I was hooked. I bought a kiln and spent the next 5 years experimenting and teaching myself to fuse glass. I began working with dichroic glass shortly after it came on the market before there was anyone to teach it, and after much experimentation, money and a lot of pretty awful results, I developed my own techniques for working with that glass also. Tell us about your most important projects. I have two: The first was sculpting the piece that I titled “Tranquility.” I started the sculpture in George Davis’ class and Bethany Wright Looney was the model. She was a fabulous model. What I discovered from working on that sculpture was that I could change the body position, and by doing so, impart passion and movement into my work. The other was working on the beaded sculpture with Jan Ayers. That was a fantastic experience. I found her whimsical and fun approach to art perfectly complimented my structured approach. By working together, we learned from each other, and eased each other’s styles. Jan gave me permission to play. It was a gift that I had never before received. Describe your studio. My original studio is quite small – about 7’x14’, but perfect for one person working. Unfortunately I outgrew that space fairly quickly, and as my kids left for college I began a land grab in my home. I took over one bedroom as a sculpting studio, and recently took over the entire game room, turning it into a teaching studio. The pool table now has a sturdy 5’x8-1/2’ work table top. What type of music do you listen to while you work? I admit to being an NPR junkie, although I’m never able to hear more than bits and pieces of any given news program or interview. Glass grinders are noisy. Where do you find your inspiration? I find inspiration in some unlikely places. A splash of color or shape that I catch out of the corner of my eye; possibly a picture or shape or color in a magazine picture; a shape on a billboard; the muscle of someone’s arm or neck; the position of a hand. Then I allow my mind to wander. Do you have any advice for other artists? Absolutely – keep working and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s the only way to learn and grow. Work with other artists and be open to new ideas. Don’t be afraid to try something difficult; if you are, give yourself permission to be afraid for a while, and then do it anyway. Do you belong to any art organizations? Texas Sculpture Association (I did belong to TVAA and Art Glass Association, but I think I let my memberships lapse. I’ve been a little busy lately.) |
