Philip Long
At the age of six I was introduced to a type of scribble art which has stayed with me to this day. It was only after twenty years of making art as an adult that an art history professor enlightened me to what my style of art was called: poetic surrealism. This natural leaning I possess towards automatic drawing securely cements my work in the foundation of other poetic surrealists like Joan Miro for my method of mark making and Kurt Schwitters for my love of creating new art using found objects.
After creating leather fashion for over twenty years the medium took on greater significance in my awareness, I am hypersensitive to its role in our everyday lives. Several years ago I fulfilled a dream of re-creating my painted images in the style of mosaic tile and glasswork. The difference being, instead of using broken pieces of ceramic or glass, I use leather; instead of grout, I use thread. Now this medium, which I have worked with for a quarter century, is entirely fresh and new to me.