ARIODANTE GALLERY

535 Julia Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
ph: 504-524-3233

Phillip Spence

Born in 1979, Phillip R. Spence grew up in Northwest, Washington DC, where the local attitude and culture was a world apart from the political establishment that the city is widely known for.   DC, however, offered Spence his first artistic opportunity at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.  Thought of at first as an escape from the city’s deteriorating public school system, Spence never knew Duke Ellington would lead him to his career as a professional artist.

After four years of foundations, he spread his wings and moved on to higher education, attending Maryland Institute College of Art in nearby Baltimore.  At MICA he favored more realistic interpretations and majored in illustration.  Not knowing his next step, Spence graduated from MICA, unsure where he was headed.

Wanting a change of environment, he moved to Miami, where his father lived, and enrolled in an MFA program at the University of Miami.  It was in graduate school that he first began experimenting with abstract painting.  His painting process escalated to a point where he felt confident in his work and he began to show in galleries and exhibitions.

In 2005, he moved back to DC where he taught and illustrated for two years.  Constrained by a lack of studio space and financing, Spence began working on a smaller scale and using digital applications in his artwork. Despite the evolution of his process, Spence found DC different from the city of his childhood. He felt disillusioned and yearned for a more nurturing artistic environment.

At 29, Phillip R. Spence now resides and works in New Orleans, where he is continually inspired by its authenticity and creative spirit.

 

 

 

ARIODANTE GALLERY. All rights reserved.

535 Julia Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
ph: 504-524-3233