We recently had the chance to connect with Shiri Phillips and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shiri, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: When was the last time you felt true joy?
When I hear my children full belly laugh and playing together happily.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I create vibrant, textured works that explore color, material, and emotion through painting, weaving, collage, and sculpture. Rooted in intuition and play, my practice embraces the transformative potential of everyday materials and the unexpected beauty of imperfection. Working across an eclectic mix of materials—including recycled paper, paint, resin, textiles, and everyday objects—I construct layered compositions that pulse with color and energy, building meditative spaces where structure and spontaneity intertwine.
Guided by an instinctive relationship to color, I approach each piece stroke by stroke, weaving bold hues into a sensory language that connects memory, emotion, and presence. My palettes are shaped not by formula but by feeling—sometimes tied to seasons, moments of joy, or visceral memories of growing up between the Mediterranean and Southern California. In my hands, color becomes both a map and a mood, carrying the emotional charge of lived experience.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Distance often begins in silence — when we stop seeing, listening, or making space for each other’s full humanity. Bonds break when fear replaces curiosity, when ego overshadows empathy.
What restores them is presence — honest conversation, shared moments, and the courage to stay open even when it’s uncomfortable. Art, for me, is one of those bridges. It reminds us that we are all capable of feeling deeply, and that connection is something we have to continually tend to.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell her to stop worrying about being “ready.” You already are. The uncertainty, the experimentation, the messy middle — that’s where the real growth happens. Keep trusting your instincts; they’ve been guiding you all along.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
In my studio, I can tell the difference by how it affects the work. A fad might change the surface — color, style, trend — but a foundational shift changes the conversation. It changes how artists connect to each other and to the world. I’m drawn to what builds new language, not what repeats the same sound in a new outfit.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
Peace finds me when I’m outside, moving without agenda — the sun on my skin, the sound of the ocean carrying its own slow heartbeat. On the beach, everything feels simple again. The horizon reminds me how small I am and how connected everything is. That kind of movement feels like meditation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shiriphillips.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiriphillips/
Image Credits
Ariel Panowicz
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