Open House: You are invited! Saturday March 19, drop by anytime between 11AM and 1PM. Self-taught artist, Lucia Phillips, will informally discuss her approach to art-making and the stories behind her irresistible, idiosyncratic paintings. A seventh-generation Texan, she now lives in Hartwick, NY Also on view in the exhibition: Amy Leigh McKinnon, paintings Elizabeth Nields, ceramics Marcus Villagran, sculpture The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown Questions? Tel.: 607-547-5327 // Text: 315-941-9607 Free admission. Please park in driveway, not on town road “For me, painting is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. It can be a lot hard work, but is filled with joy as it somehow makes me feel more alive than most of my other duties. Sometimes I wonder why I do it at all. I guess mainly it is because it is just a pure thrill, like going on a sail in a good wind. You never know what is going to happen, and sometimes the result is pure fun.” Excerpt from Artist’s Statement MORE ABOUT LUCIA PHILLIPS: LUCIA PHILLIPS farms part-time, paints all winter and lives “a quiet life in the hills of Hartwick, where life can be pretty sweet.” She will share an array of subjects: dogs, iconic vintage advertising, compelling figures, forests, subjects abstracted into simplified shapes “…painting is a great way to process emotions and memories and dreams,” she noted. A seventh-generation Texan, Phillips now lives on a farm with her husband, lumberman forester, Bruce Phillips. They produce garlic and maple syrup and raise their own food. “We are super busy during the growing season,” Phillips noted, “but in the winter there is a lot of time indoors…. my little hobby…has consumed every inch of space in our home and a huge amount of my time. I derive a huge amount of pleasure and joy from creating new images.” She developed her distinctive and totally enchanting voice with almost no formal training: “I am still just a beginner after 20 years of dabbling.” For years she worked as an assistant or posed for figure drawing classes. One day when posing for artist, Elizabeth Nields — whose work is also in the current exhibition– she suddenly realized she wanted to actually create art rather than pose. Phillips’ first show in a gallery was in 2019 at the Art Garage, previously she exhibited at a few local restaurants. Most of her work is privately acquired by a single Texas collector. The show is on view through April 5, open Saturday March 26 and April 2, and daily with a call or text. ‘If we’re in, we come out.’ Upcoming programs related to the show will be presented by Marcus Villigran and Amy Leigh McKinnon, and informally with Elizabeth Nields. Tel.: 607-547-5327; text 315-941-9607. Images are available on FBArtGarageCooperstown and Instagram: TheArtGarageCooperstown. #wearecooperstown #thisiscopperstown