The Artist Philip Gray
The man behind the famous prints Philip Gray was born in Cork, Ireland way back in the year of 1959. Since he was young as five, he already had the passion for art. He can even recall his fondest memories of being taught to draw figuratively by a family friend, Trevor Scott, who was also the founder of the College of Art and Design in Dublin. Philip joined the Navy when he was 16 and that is where he also began to paint while at sea. He may be producing high-end paintings that reveal the world’s commercialism but he sees to it that he adds his warm and personal touch to make his Philip Gray prints accessible to a wide range of markets. Hence, more and more people are becoming more fascinated with his art.
Philip Gray prints are seen to be reflecting the beauty of Ireland and the seas. He has produced art pieces of dramatic seascapes, which are often sold in limited edition pieces. This symbolises his life as a part of the Navy, where he spent almost seventeen years at sea. Philip is known for mastering a project called The Extreme Art. This is when a painter gets to paint in extremely different scenarios like on top of a mountain, in the middle of shark-infested waters, in the midst of wild animals, etc.
For Philip, he compares painting to being as essential as breathing. He firmly believes that without painting, there won’t be any reason for living. Each day for him is a wonderful chance to leave everything behind and confront each empty and new canvas with fresh energy and an inspired heart and mind waiting to unravel. His muse is the sea or the waters, believing that it can best interpret his emotions. All his previous experiences as well in the Navy have helped him discover that the shallow surface of the seas reflects the exterior part of us and its abyss symbolises our inner man.
Philip Gray was once voted as Best New Artist at the Fine Art Trade Guild Awards way back in 2007 in the UK. His prints, which depict the various combinations of landscapes and seascapes, have made him earn international credibility and recognition. Now, he stands as one of Ireland’s most valued living artists. During the awards ceremony, he was so full of humility, as he expressed his surprise to how fast he was given recognition in the UK art market.
The unique thing about Philip Gray prints is that he greatly utilises his creativity with painting as a free flowing form of communication. His art paintings render everyone with the chance to transport them into somewhere that is far from the chaotic busyness of everyday life. It helps to bring you into a wonderful reunion or reconciliation with nature.
All his experiences with the sea as nature have been greatly seen perfectly alive in his paintings and that alone can be considered his greatest edge amongst other painters.