The sketches of Tom Phillips
1971
Phillips, Tom
"The late Native American artist Tom Phillips was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma and was a graduate of Central High School. He joined the Merchant Marine Corps, serving at sea for two years, and later served with the 45th Infantry Division in Korea. As a member of the Chickasaw Nation, Tom was considered by many to be the poet of western artists and a champion of preserving Native American history. Tom's father recognized his son's intense interest in drawing and, by the age of nine, Tom was sent to the Helen Lorenze Art School in Oklahoma City where he studied fundamentals of drawing landscape, perspective and anatomy. At age 16 he studied at Phillips University in Enid, and later his studies took him to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Kansas City Art Institute. Tom is well known for his work with the American Hereford Association. As illustrator for that organization's publications, he produced hundreds of paintings, drawings and sketches that were featured on the covers and interiors of national magazines. Tom's book, "The Sketches of Tom Phillips," was published in 1971 and featured drawings and sketches he produced while visiting Hereford ranches across the country. Tom devoted his time to painting, sculpting, visiting ranches, Indian reservations and scenic attractions of the West in order to record the local color and recreate the authentic history of Native Americans. Tom became interested in his Native American heritage as he discovered first hand the culture, traditions, ceremonies and religion that were the ways of his ancestors. As a young man of Chickasaw ancestry, he desired to paint a scene of the Chickasaw Removal but lacked the proper source material to create realistic, authentic scenes. After being contacted by a Chickasaw Nation tribal librarian decades later, Tom finally gained resources and inspiration that he needed."--The Chickasaw Nation.
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