I can clearly remember the moment I fell in love with paint. It was in a moment; a visceral response to the visual, tactile and olfactory sense of squeezing out a tube of Cerulean Blue oil paint that I opened in the final semester of my BFA. So, when I met Philip Geiger, I was already excited by the material, but it wasn’t until I saw what Philip could do with paint that I realized the depth of potential this colored mud had to offer.
I did not grow up with paintings or painters, or even a family who had ever put any sort of importance on the practice of painting. I did not even set foot into a museum of art until my late 20’s that I can recall. It was through the influence of my mother making crafts, my passing time with comic books and a massive book on Leonardo Da Vinci that I even developed the interest in drawing which I have always done habitually. I grew up curious and searching, trying everything that resonated with me even in the slightest. And then, all of a sudden, that tube of Cerulean Blue and oil painting dwarfed every other interest. So, how fortuitous am I to have been introduced to Philip Geiger shortly after that moment? I knew that I wanted to paint, that was clear, but it was not until I met Philip that I was certain of a vocation or that painting could even be a vocation.
Phiipl was teaching at the University of Virginia and was already an acclaimed painter, but honestly none of that mattered to me. What mattered was the quiet, raw emotional power he was able to express in his paintings. Leaving Philip’s studio the first time (grateful that we hit it off,) my mind was racing with possibilities, and also - how much I still needed to learn! So, I began making pilgrimages of a sort, from my home in Georgia to Philip’s home in Virginia. I would bring him my struggles in the form of paintings and he would give me feedback; we would schedule a model and paint together. So, I was not “formally” trained by Philip in the University but, he has taught me more about painting than anyone, mostly through example and some slightly cryptic language. He was the catalyst for my going to PAFA for grad school where I earned my MFA and studied with Philip’s life-long friend Scott Noel (who became another massive influence in my painting life) and over the last 15 years I have visited several times a year. In that time he has taught me what it means to be dedicated to your practice by getting into the studio every day. I have watched him continually experiment and challenge himself and his work fearlessly, with a playful dogged curiosity. And throughout that time has mentored me “informally,” and our friendship has grown. I have come to revere him and his family, who are also incredible artists in their own right. I have asked every question I could think of and I feel as if I am barely scratching the surface. I can imagine some reluctance in Philip saying that he was my “teacher,” perhaps out of humility or respect, but as I have told him, he changed my life and set me on this path. No one has inspired me more.