Phillipa Butters

Phillipa Butters

Biography
Along with bringing up 3 children, Phillipa has enjoyed an active and varied art practice where she has experienced the joy and therapeutic nature of the creative process. An inevitable joining of career and art making led to a Masters degree in Art Therapy and work in this capacity has provided a rich experience of art psychotherapy that resultant in ‘seeing things differently’. For the past 20 years, she has worked exclusively with drawing and painting, practising intuitively and dynamically with acrylics and mixed media on paper, canvas or board. Phillipa has enjoyed a fruitful artistic career and has been a finalist in numerous Art Prizes.

Artist Statement
The quality of liminality is central to my artmaking process. An initial response to person or place, transitions into a stage of relationship with self, the canvas and the creative process where a sense of ambiguity or ‘I don’t know where this painting is going’ occurs. There is a sense of entering into a relationship with the unknown, in a mindful process of observation, mark making, layering and scraping back with line, shape, texture, space and colour, finding and losing elements until a sense of balance, resolution and meaning is found. Staying with and wondering about possibilities, playing with happenstance, noticing, responding to and being immersed in the moment is all part of the process. At some point you arrive on the other side … to something new, often unexpected, with a sense of resolution.

Duo Exhibitions
2023 Bending Reality, (with Paul Williams), Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney.
2021 Liminal Moments, (with Paul Williams), Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney.
2019 Edge of the Id, (with Paul Williams), Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney.
2018 Otherness (with Paul Williams), Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney.

Group Exhibitions
2022 Artists4Ukraine, See Street Gallery, Meadowbank, Sydney.
2020 Twelve Artists, Paintings and Sculptures, The Creative Space, North Curl Curl, Sydney
2020 ‘Take 6’ for IWD, Thienny Lee Gallery, Sydney.
2017 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize Finalist Exhibition, Ravenswood School For Girls, Gordon, Sydney.
2016 Hunters Hill Art Exhibition Finalist Exhibition, Hunters Hill, Sydney.
2016 Little Things Art Prize Finalist Exhibition, Saint Cloche Gallery, Paddington, Sydney.
2015 One Thing Leads to Another, Ewart Gallery – Workshop Art Centre, Willoughby, Sydney.
2009 Big Paintings- Small Paintings, Ewart Gallery – Workshop Art Centre, Willoughby, Sydney.
2009 Big Wednesday, Ewart Gallery – Workshop Art Centre, Willoughby, Sydney.
2008 1200K West Fowlers Gap – student group exhibition, COFA Space Gallery, Sydney
2007 8 Artists, Gallery 307, Northbridge, Sydney.
2006 The Big Picture, Recent works (3 artists), Gallery 307, Northbridge, Sydney
2005 Found, Ewart Gallery – Workshop Art Centre, Willoughby, Sydney.
2005 Colours, Recent Works (3 artists), Gallery 307, Northbridge, Sydney.

Art Prizes
2017 Ewart Art Prize – Finalist
2017 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize – Finalist.
2016 Little Things Art Prize – Finalist
2016 Hunters Hill Art Prize – Finalist

Education
1979 – 1981 Bachelor of Arts, University of Sydney
1981 – 1983 Bachelor of Social Studies, University of Sydney
1990 – 1993 Ceramics – Certificate course, Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE
1990 – 1992 Drawing – Certificate course, TAFE NSW
2001 – 2003 Sculpture – Tom Bass Sculpture School
2007 – 2010 Graduate Diploma in Art – Major in Painting, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales.
2010 – 2014 Master of Art Therapy, University of Western Sydney.
2000 – Current – Ongoing art classes at Willoughby Art Centre

Collections
Private collections in Australia and Overseas.

Other Work experience
Phillipa has worked as a social worker, volunteer and later as an Art Therapist for over 30 years within the welfare, education and health sectors both government and non-government in local, state and national organisations.