Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Philip DeAngelo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Philip, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was still in high school in New Jersey. One of my teachers showed me how much potential I had by submitting my work to County and State competitions, where each painting won top honors. It took me until my gallery ownership ventures in Ocean City some time later to address that desire more professionally – I was to be one of the artists we were representing in our gallery, so I had to jump in and paint daily, a discipline that’s really key to making a living at it.

Philip, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a Contemporary Americana painter based in Asheville, NC, and I’ve been a professional artist for over twenty-five years now. I specialize in acrylic paint on various textured substrates, from wood to cork to antique tin, and my work is often described as being about color, texture, line, and balance. Growing up in Ocean City, New Jersey, I found my passion for both creating art and for surfing. In 1997, my best friend and I opened a gallery there with art featuring beach culture and the action sports lifestyle, which operated for twelve years.

As happens to many who visit Asheville, my wife Tina and I fell in love with the area for many reasons and eventually relocated. Now we’re approaching fifteen years in the rolling hills just north of town. In addition to trees, structures, and animals, my imagery often includes both water and mountains, reflecting the elements of nature we are inspired by daily.

This December will mark our fifteenth anniversary having a studio in The Wedge Building in Asheville’s historic River Arts District, and eleven years in our current street-front spot. Over time, Tina became increasingly involved in the business and now manages the day-to-day operations out of our bright, industrial space in this popular building. We keep it pretty simple: paintings and reproductions in our main gallery/studio and on the web, plus some works placed in other local and regional venues. We stay involved in the arts scene, and are connected to various causes and missions with our church and animal rescues.

I love painting my current collection, and also love creating commissions for our new and existing fans – for me, getting to help tell peoples’ stories in my visual style is a very fulfilling process. Like many artists, I also enjoy exploring new avenues of thought, like an upcoming series I’m working on that is centered on inspiration by and homage to my past artistic influences, like Hockney, Hopper, and others.

I thank God every day that I get to be a part of such an arts-supportive community like Asheville. People here love the arts, and we’ve made many friends.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

With regard to upcoming artists, I think parental support, schools re-prioritizing the arts in curriculums, and societal encouragement in general – in whatever forms any or all of that may occur – are necessary to provide reinforcement that one can pursue a creative life. Since artists are not made overnight, the required hard work and dedication need accompanying mentoring and guidance. I was encouraged in my art activities by teachers in grade school and high school, as well as by an older New Jersey artist who coincidentally had a connection to our eventual home of Asheville. I would not be where I am without art programs in schools.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is that I get to do what I love, depicting the world the way I see it. The trees I paint are the trees in my mind. My training was more traditional, but moving to Asheville allowed me to evolve my simplified, color-saturated, symbolic style that I am now most known for.

I’m also grateful how Tina and I get to work together administratively and creatively to have this life. And it allows us to mentor and support local artists, which is part of our personal mission. It’s really cool that we get to do this.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.philipdeangeloart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipdeangeloart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipDeAngeloArt

Image Credits
Dennis Rey Greg Vineyard