El Loco Ocho
Brian Phillips is a visual artist residing in Austin, Texas. To Brian, dumpsters contain treasure and gold can be found in scrap piles on the side of the road. Reclaimed wood forms the foundation of his work, and is often rife with imperfection — blemishes, knots, and nail holes all contribute to the individuality of his finished pieces.
Working in a reclaimed shed originally built forty years ago from salvaged materials, Brian uses his studio and workshop to cut, plane, paint, and reassemble rejected material into something new. As a native of the Lone Star State, Brian’s work embraces the beauty and resilience of his home state, and his work is a celebration of life and everything that makes it worth living.
When I was sketching out a cowboy portrait before painting, I realized if I broke it down into sections of shapes, I could let my imagination run wild and fill them with anything I envisioned and the possibilities would be endless. Voilà, this series was born. I am excited to see where these lead me to, creatively moving forward. What better way to contribute to Keeping Austin Weird? The “El Loco Ocho” posse will help spread the word to “Keep Austin Weird” for years to come.
