Art and Grimsby are not synonymous, but artist Piers Phillips fell in love with a local girl and has since fallen in love with our area.
We’ve been fans of Piers Phillips’ work for a while, captivated by his careful composition, minimal palettes and infinite patience. So when he arrived at CMA HQ – with three paintings to hand – we were in awe. An artist at a design agency just makes sense.
Speaking to the pioneer behind the pieces, we were reminded that being based in Grimsby doesn’t need to be a barrier to success. Through hard work and clever marketing, Piers Phillips joins many local heroes running a global business from right here in downtown Grimsby. This is his story.
Making a mark as a professional artist
Piers Phillips has always had an eye for detail. Originally studying Interior Architecture and Design at Nottingham Trent University, he moved to London to find work with some of the bigger interior design practices in the city. Though he enjoyed his ten years in interiors, he found himself coming back to art.
This is especially true for his series of paintings, Think Inside The Box. During an all-consuming architectural project, Piers needed a way to remove himself and take some downtime. Painting was cathartic, and he began to develop his signature method of repetitive mark making, which has been refined over the years.
“Whether that be painting or life drawing, I’ve always kept my hand to art, as a hobby and almost as therapy. From the very beginning, I found that doing a simple gesture over and over again was a good release.”
Piers found himself contemplating his career when the pandemic struck. He questioned his passion for his job in interiors, and whether it was something he truly wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“The pandemic gave me the time to think. I soon realised I much prefer being an artist and working for myself.”
“Setting myself up in business meant I could control the moves I make, and push my career in the direction I want. I had made my mind up, and asked myself: what do I need to put in place to make this work?”
The answer: consistency. There’s a preconception about artists – that they wake up at noon, throw paint on a canvas, and go to bed at 2AM. For Piers, being a professional artist and creating a business from his art meant keeping a consistent structure over a working day. Yes, he works into the evenings from time to time, but that’s mostly because he’s invested in the piece of art he’s working on.
Beyond this, he has a structure in place. Three days are spent painting, while the remaining two are all about growing the business. From emailing prospective clients to answering customer enquiries, admin is a necessary part of building a professional business. But there is scope for creativity in marketing too, as we know all too well. Simply glance at his social channels, and you’ll find yourself mesmerised in the minimalistic handiwork. His strong social presence shows pieces brought to life – from concept to creation, one square at a time.
Grounded in Grimsby
Piers is no stranger to moving around. Born in Leeds, he spent his first years in Australia before living in Glasgow until the age of 10. But it is Beverley in East Riding, just 30 miles from where he’s now settled, that he calls his hometown.
So, what brought Piers to Grimsby? It was, in fact, love. Not necessarily a love for the area at first, but love for a girl. Spending more and more time visiting her, he made the choice to move to the humble fishing town over a year ago.
Familiar with the Humber area, the artist has come to love Grimsby and Cleethorpes. He compliments the friendly, loyal folk who “will do anything for you”, the opportunities to discover, and the delicious food – including fresh fish, straight from the docks. But most of all, he enjoys the relaxed feel of the place.
“There is more soul in a smaller town. You never feel alone in Grimsby.”
As Piers confirms: “When you live in a big city, especially London, you are completely spoiled – everything is on your doorstep. Restaurants, theatres, art galleries, museums, they’re all just there. So, you never leave. Living in a smaller town like Grimsby, there’s a lot to do around the Humber, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire areas, loads of places to just go visit, and that’s where I find a lot of ideas. So, moving to somewhere smaller has actually broadened my horizons.”
In just an hour, Piers can explore Northern cities like Sheffield, Lincoln or Hull and discover something new and exciting that will inspire another artwork. He explains this is something he never would have done living in London, under the impression that everything was there, so there was simply no need to leave.
The Lincolnshire area has undoubtedly influenced his art and his business, giving him space to breathe and time to think. He gives a nod to the busy working culture in the city, “the rat race”, which easily stifled his passion project.
“I don’t know if I would have started this venture if I was still living in London. On a practicality level, Grimsby has given me a lot more room to breathe.”
“Also, I love the light up here. There is a different light by the coast, especially in the evening. It’s a very pinky purple sky. And, while that doesn’t directly influence my painting, I appreciate that. In London, you feel enclosed, but here with just a bit of countryside and a different light, it gives a different look to everything.”
Piers Phillips’ signature style
Less is more. It’s a phrase we revisited plenty when we spoke to Piers, and is evident in his artwork. His design background has influenced a love for the minimalist side of aesthetics and he finds beauty in things which are stripped down – whether it’s a piece of art, a place or a building.
“When things have struck me as being really beautiful, or have triggered an emotion within me, it’s often when much of the ornament is stripped away. Just paring everything back, to me, has much more impact. A singular thing can be so striking.”
His work is cleverly constructed, manipulating one colour and the many things that can be done with a single tone, through subtle variations. For Piers, it’s all about how he applies the paint that gives it an emotive quality.
His pieces are calming to paint, and he hopes they are equally calming to view. We certainly think so, and there is something to be said for how each person connects differently – sometimes in strange and unpredictable ways.
Piers is inspired by his favourite artist, Mark Rothko, whose work “seems to transform before your eyes.”
“You look at his work and it may just seem like two or three tones of very flat colour on the canvas. But the longer you look at them, the more you take from them. And what he always tries to do is convey an emotion rather than an image. And I’m all for taking your time over things.”
Contradicting modern society, Piers sees value in stopping and absorbing. In a world where everything is about instant stimuli, he promises “you’ll get so much more from it, when you really look at it.”
He advocates seeing art in person, frustrated by those in art galleries who quickly take a photograph and move on, without spending time to appreciate it. Piers’ artwork is not about an instant glance and he hopes people will connect by taking time over it.
“I hope that, when people view my artworks, they will take away something personal to them and only them. It’s about just taking your time over things.”
The digital dilemma
And yet in this digital world, getting seen means promoting work through social media. So how to balance the quick-to-digest content of the social sphere with the intricacies and aims of professional art?
“It’s a dilemma. There’s this strange thing within art, especially now, where you have to have a large social media following to gain credibility. It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice, really, because it goes against some of my ethos. I find it sad, in a way, that it’s come to the point where social media can dictate who is successful and who’s not. But, on the other hand, if I didn’t have social media, my business wouldn’t be where it is now.”
Piers knows all too well the power of social media, which allows him to put out the work that he wants to show. He appreciates being in control of the account, which gives an insight into the process, rather than serving as a place for promotion.
“When I post a video, I hope that people can take something from it, which means my account is not all about the sell-sell-sell. I try to give a little bit back. I’m trying to create my own little mini gallery, where it’s free for you to view.”
And so we return to consistency. The professional artist realises there is planning required to share something new every few days. He has steadily built up a rhythm, and began to understand that not every video needs to be a masterpiece.
“For any business, you do not know everything at the beginning. There’s still so much that I don’t know, or I’m waiting to find out. You just take it step by step.”
Piers has found two years to be a reasonable time to get a handle on everything needed, but there is always something new to learn – and there is joy in that.
“When you buy a toolbox, you don’t have every tool that you’ll need. You pick things up when you need them. In business, you come across a problem and then you have to work out the solution. Or you might decide you want to do something in a different way. So, you learn and you change, step by step.”
In the first year, 90% of Piers’ professional art business was through social media. A simple message on Instagram would kickstart a chain of communication. His first year was built on this; talking through a prospective client’s needs, developing an understanding of colours, sizes and references then formulating a design or composition. The piece would be painted, shared on social media and the cycle continued.
“I would foresee, in the future, that the more I sell, the more word of mouth happens. It’s an organic process. But it comes back to that consistency of making sure I turn up and produce high quality artworks that mean something to me and that people enjoy.”
If you enjoy Piers Phillips’ paintings…
As Piers says, consistency is often the key for any business venture. By putting in the hours (and hours) every day, creating a vibrant presence on social media, having a great idea and the determination to turn it into a profitable business, there is no limit to how far around the globe a Grimsby-based business can take you.
Without wishing to sound (as he, himself, might say) too sell-sell-sell, Piers is accepting commissions at the moment. So, if you’d like to start one of those conversations, wander over to his website and get in touch. Or you could follow him on Instagram and see how his latest creations are developing.
