Philippy is drawn to the simple beauty of color, shapes and textures that surround her everyday; the color of a stone, the shape of a water stain on cement, or the texture of a rusted piece of metal. She is fascinated by mixing the natural world with the industrial world. Though these two realms are often in conflict, they play off each other, especially when combining them in her paintings. Philippy usually has an image in mind when she starts creating a painting, but it tends to take on a life of its own as the work progresses; rarely ending up with what was originally intended. She experiments by letting her curiosity run loose and by not being afraid to layer and change the whole piece. Many of her favorite results are when the unexpected occurs, allowing the painting to take me on a creative journey, often letting the piece inspire the next, creating a connection to each of her paintings. “My paintings never have a single meaning. If they are successful they will connect with the viewer at some emotional level, and offer a moment’s pause in this fast-paced world.”
Audra Philippy lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband and son. She grew up in New Hampshire and after receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing from James Madison University, in Harrisonburg VA, she had the urge to head to the west coast to explore something new. After checking out different west coast cities, in 1997 she visited Bend and fell in love with what was then a small mountain town. She is currently working on custom boards using venetian plaster and pigment.