Phillip Crowe

Phillip Crowe is as natural as the scenes he paints. The most important influence in Crowe's life has been his early years in the outdoors. "My grandfather and my father were quail hunters in Illinois. They let me tag along and be their retriever."

" Phillip's mother was most instrumental in encouraging him to go to art school. Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, Florida, was a great learning experience and laid the groundwork for his love of painting. "I can remember sitting on the floor with Mom, painting 'till 2:00 AM. What great times those were." After graduating from Ringling, Crowe moved into commercial art and advertising. "The advertising business was crazy, and I had to have some relief so I started painting at night."

Phillip painted what he knew best: the outdoors and wildlife. As demand for his work grew, so did his range of subject matter ?blue sky days with flights of mallards and teal, icy mornings with big handsome canvasbacks ripping the wave tops, silent whitetails casing through the woods, exploding coveys of bobwhites, majestic eagles, the outlaw antics of puppies, skinny ribbed pointers, ticked steers with bloody tails - the whole outdoor experience.

Crowe has dedicated his time and art to helping many organizations that care about the wildlife he loves: Ducks Unlimited, Quails Unlimited, 'I 'lie Nature Conservatory and many state wildlife resource agencies. Crowe feels very strongly about protecting the wildlife we all love. "This environment is fragile; the balance is our responsibility, and we must protect our outdoors for our children and our future."