Meet the Artist: Patricia AZ Phillips

NOTE: As I transition my art efforts to this TMPixArt blog from my personal blog at TracyRuckman.com, I will be sharing art posts that were originally published on that site earlier this year. While the posts may be duplicates, my body of art, and the body of art created by my guests has grown and expanded. Because of this, I invite you to visit their websites and explore their art even if you read the blog post previously - you might be surprised to find a new favorite somewhere along the way!

Meet the Artist: Patricia AZ Phillips

(originally published here)

Today, I'd like to introduce you to another new art friend, Patricia AZ Phillips.

What type of art do you create, Patricia?

Wildflowers combined with digital art greenery

I love digital photography. Technology has taken photography to a new level and it is a lot less expensive than film. I get totally immersed in a variety of photography genres that are not people related. I’m sure that tendency has to do with being an introvert. I enjoy photographing animals, nature, landscapes, still life, conceptual, and macro subjects. I take a lot of my shots with two digital SLR cameras, a variety of lenses and other equipment that supports those genres.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve taken a lot of photographs with my cell phone. I always tell people that it’s not necessarily the equipment but the photographer when they are surprised at the quality of some shots. Cell phone cameras have improved and with specialty lenses are capable of a lot more. The advantages over my other cameras is that the phone is lightweight and generally always with me. I also have a small cosmetic style bag that holds a variety of tiny lenses that I can attach to the phone for specialty shots. I do use the macro lens in that kit more than the other lens.

I mentioned technology because it’s so easy to improve and alter photographs these days too. I have combined some photographs with digital art elements for creative results. I also enjoy running some of my photographs through filters and apps giving them a unique appearance. That can get addicting and time consuming but sometimes the results are very pleasing.

How did you get started creating this particular type art?

I started in black and white film photography after joining the Army when I was 19 years

Digital photography mixed with graphic arts

old. I retain great memories in the darkroom with that distinct smell of chemicals watching black and white photographs appear like magic before my eyes in the chemical developer tray.

I soon found out that Kodachrome slides were a great way to store memories from all my travels. I still have trays of slides and a projector to view them. I gave up photography for about 12 years after having my cameras and all related equipment stolen during a military transfer.

When digital cameras began showing up on the market I decided to get an inexpensive “point and shoot” design to test it out. I loved the immediate viewing of images and that it was easy to manipulate the photos right on a computer.

It wasn’t long before I bought my first digital SLR camera (which I still use) and photo editing software. Soon after that I gave the stock photography business a try. I became disillusioned after a short time with the ever-changing requirements. When another photographer introduced me to Zazzle, the online print on demand company, I found a place to share my photography and opened my first store, The Aspen Stand, in July 2009.

Tell us the story behind one of your favorite creations.

Puzzle Pieces & Fork

One of my favorite photos is a conceptual shot that came to mind while I was working on a jigsaw puzzle. I shot a couple of sessions and deleted a lot of the shots but finally came away with several (and particularly one) that exemplified what I originally had in mind.

The image is an isolated fork with several jigsaw puzzle pieces between the tines. Some might think this is an odd photograph to be a favorite but it was the first time I set up props for a photo session and the image has been a successful seller on business cards. The success of the photo on business cards and the fun with the shoot got me more interested in taking still life photographs.


About the Artist:

Patricia was born and raised in New England then spent 22 years in the US Army in a variety of assignments and locations. Upon retirement from the military, she and her Army veteran husband moved west from their last assignment location. The couple made several relocations heading west across the US in search of work and a place to settle down. Eventually, they stopped in the beautiful high desert country of northern Arizona.

They have a house full of rescued fur babies and a lovable old chocolate Labrador Retriever. You’ll see her animal photographs on many Zazzle products. Those images include her furry companions and other interesting critters that she’s photographed over the years.


Find Patricia on the web:

Zazzle Stores:
The Aspen Stand
PaPr Emporium

Website:

The Aspen Stand